Government accepts Nasheed

The government has accepted former President Mohamed Nasheed’s latest nomination to the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI).

A senior government official said tonight that Nasheed’s most recent nominee has been sent to Commonwealth for approval, and that it will be announced after Commonwealth issues its verdict on the nomination.

“We will announce the name at a later date, not yet,” he said.

Nasheed has nominated twelve people on different occasions to be included in CNI, of which two were accepted by the government. Mariyam Manal Shihab, who was accepted by the government, was later withdrawn by Nasheed.

Among people nominated by Nasheed were Lt Colonel Zubair Ahmed Manik, Macchangolhi Uthuru MP Mariya Ahmed Didi, former Housing Minister Mohamed Aslam, former Youth Minister Hassan Latheef, former Education Minister Shifa Mohamed, former JSC member Aishath Velizinee, and former Maldives Airports Company Limited member Ibrahim Saleem.

The government refused to accept them as they do not fulfil the criteria.

The criteria to be met by Nasheed’s nominee are that he should not have been politically active during the past two years and that he should have attained at least an undergraduate degree from a recognized university.

The CNI is comprised of Nasheed’s representative, three members appointed by the government, and a retired Judge from Singapore. The work of the CNI is temporarily halted until the reform is completed.