Correctional Service asks police to find ex-State Minister Assad Ali

Maldives Correctional Service has asked the police to find former State Minister for Sports Assad Ali (Adubarey) - who had signed as surety – allowing former Tourism Minister Ali Waheed to travel oversees despite being on trial on charges of sexual violence against multiple women – in order to enforce a 15-day prison sentence against him on Wednesday. 

A spokesperson Maldives Correctional Service told Sun on Wednesday evening that Assad’s current whereabouts were unknown, and they had asked the police to find him. 

Sun is able to confirm Assad fled to the UK a few days back. 

The Criminal Court hearing to sentence Assad was held in absentia.   

At the hearing, Judge Hassan Saeed said Assad gave no credible reason for his absence, and said that it would therefore be treated as an act of contempt of court.  

The judge said there was no evidence Assad made any effort to have Ali Waheed return to Maldives within the court-mandated time period. 

Ali Waheed was dismissed as Tourism Minister on July 9, 2020, after allegations that he sexually assaulted and harassed multiple female employees at the Tourism Ministry was brought to the attention of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. He was initially asked to voluntarily resign, but was dismissed after he refused.

He has been pressed with seven charges; attempted rape, inflicting a sexual, indecent exposure, sexual assault, attempt to cause sexual assault, and two counts of unlawful sexual contact.

He initially had a travel ban order against him, but the Criminal Court temporarily released his passport and allowed him to travel overseas for medical treatment on February 9, 2021, despite requests by the Prosecutor General's Office not to release his passport and grant him temporary travel papers instead.  He promptly left for the UK.

Ali Waheed failed to return to Maldives despite the fact that the four-month period granted by the court for his travel overseas expired in June 2021.

It has been over a month since the court warned it would penalize Assad if Ali Waheed failed to return to Maldives within 72 hours.