News

Officers named in report terminated for accepting incentives from ex-VP

Maldives Police Service have revealed that the two officers named in the report issued on Miniwan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan's murder by the presidential commission investigating murders and enforced disappearances, have been dismissed from the police force.

Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed on Wednesday said the two officers were not terminated in relation to the revelations of the report, but were dismissed for accepting financial incentives from former Vice President of Maldives Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Ghafoor.

"The officers were not terminated in relation to the allegations made in the commission's report but for accepting financial incentives from former VP Ahmed Adeeb", said the commissioner.

The commission's report on Rilwan's murder accused the two intel officers of colluding with VP Adeeb to make it appear that Rilwan had been killed in war-torn Syria by attempting to make a fake passport in his name.

While the Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath had instructed their arrest following the report's revelations, the police did not arrest the officers citing lack of substantial evidence against them. The Commissioner of Police had at the time stated that the Presidential Commissions Act entails that the commission has the sole investigative authority over Rilwan's case and therefore had the authority to seek arrest warrants.