Ismail Shafeeu will leave Inquiry Commission: Nasheed

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has said that the Chair of National Commission of Inquiry (NCI) Ismail Shafeeu will leave the Commission on 31 May.

Speaking at a press conference held at Male’ City Council Hall, Nasheed said that Shafeeu will leave because several people had complained about him, and that the moderator of all-party-talks Ahmed Mujtaba will replace him.

Nasheed said that Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is criticising Shafeeu, who acted as Defence Minister and held several other high posts in Gayoom’s administration, ‘not because he is a bad person’.

Referring to the criteria to be met by members of the NCI, Nasheed said that they should hold university degrees, be respectable in society, and should not have been ministers or Members of Parliament in the past two years. He should also not have made any public statement regarding the incidents of 7 February 2012.

Nasheed agreed that NCI members Dr Ibrahim Yasir and Dr Ali Fawaz Shareef fulfil these criteria.

Nasheed said that the commitment signed between the Maldivian government and Commonwealth Special Envoy Donald McKinnon state that the NCI should investigate whether Nasheed was forced by any party to tender his resignation.

Earlier, the NCI was only investigating the events leading up to the change of government from 14 January to 8 February 2012.

He also said that the NCI has the authority to look into bank accounts, phone calls, text messages, photos and videos in order to conduct their investigation. The NCI also has the authority to summon anyone for questioning.

\

Nasheed said that the biggest accomplishment for MDP within the first 100 days of President Waheed’s coalition government is their success in making the NCI independent.