Police seek public assistance to locate Abbas Adil Riza

Maldives Police Service has made an announcement seeking assistance from the public to locate Abbas Adil Riza, 45, NooriKeela, K. Male’, following his failure to appear before the Criminal Court for a hearing lodged against him by the state for threatening destruction.

Police, in their announcement, detailed they were searching for him to present him before the Criminal Court in their custody as ordered by the court.

Criminal Court’s order instructed police to present Abbas Adil Riza before the court for a hearing scheduled for 14:30pm on Tuesday afternoon in the case lodged against him by the prosecution for threatening destruction.

Police requested anyone with information regarding his whereabouts to contact their Custodial Department at 9991442.

The case against Abbas stems from a tweet he made in December 2022, which he alleged that the arson attacks in Addu City in during riots of February 8, 2012 following the fall of former president Mohamed Nasheed’s administration had been at orders from India.

He said the Indian High Commission should be torched in retaliation.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, Abbas had expressed displeasure over how the money laundering trial against former Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom had been proceeding, and called for arson attacks and unrest across Male’ on the social audio app Clubhouse.

He faces one year, seven months and six days in prison if found guilty of the charge against him.

Abbas had served as the President’s Office spokesperson during former president Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik’s administration, and as head of Maldives Customs Service and the trade representative to Malaysia during Yameen’s administration.