PG summoned to Parliament Committee over 149 kg drug bust

Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem has been summoned to the Parliament’s Judiciary Committee to respond to questions by parliamentarians inquiring about the case of the 149 kg drug bust found buried in an uninhabited island of G. Dh. Atoll, which was dismissed from two courts in the Maldives. 

The drugs were found buried in the sand of an island named Hulhuvaarulu in the southern atoll on April 29, 2019. 

In a committee meeting today, all parliamentarians unanimously agreed to summon the Prosecutor General to the Committee for questioning. The Committee had decided to inquire about the case and how the case was dismissed from two courts. Committee chair and North Maafannu MP Imthiyaz Fahmy had stated that the Committee would find those responsible for the case and hold them accountable. 

The Prosecutor General’s Office had originally filed the charges against five suspects arrested in the case with the Criminal Court.

However, the case was dismissed from the court during pretrial hearings citing that the charges need to be filed with a court in the region where the crime took place. The PG Office did not contest the decision with the High Court and filed the charges with the Gadhdhoo Court.

The Magistrate Court of Gadhdhoo then dismissed the charges last week, citing that the charges were filed after the legally mandated time frame for submitting charges had lapsed. 

The five suspects in the case were all later released due to the dismissal of the case from the Magistrate Court. They are:

• Ahmed Aneel (34), Gahaakolahi, G. A. Kondey
• Ahmed Haameem (42), Edhuruge, G. Dh. Gadhdhoo
• Shafeez Mohamed (35), Romance, G. A. Kondey
• Ali Shakir (30), Dhihshanvilla, G. A. Nilandhoo
• Yaamih Khalidh (23), Edhuruge, G. Dh. Gadhdhoo

Out of the five, four were charged with trafficking diamorphine while the other was charged with being an accessory to trafficking diamorphine. 

The case was originally filed during the tenure of Aishath Bisham as Prosecutor General. 

Drugs found on the island include Opiates and Cannabis. Without the inclusion of the eight of the packaging, 96.36 kg of Opiates and 47.27 kg of Cannabis were seized. The drugs busted had a street value of MVR 260 million. 

It is the single biggest drug bust in the Maldives as of recent times.