Umar: President Yameen did not sent any messages to me regarding Rilwan case

Former Minister of Home Minister, Umar Naseer has denied that he received any text message from Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom regarding the investigation into the abduction of the Maldives Independent reporter Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla.

Umar made the denial via his official Twitter account on Wednesday after the Al-Jazeera investigative documentary “Stealing Paradise” included alleged text messages exchanged between him and Yameen regarding the high-profile case.

I did not recieve any text message from RY on Rilwan's case. I am 100% sure that aljazeera will NOT have such a text.

— Umar Naseer (@UmarNaseerPPM) September 7, 2016

The Al-Jazeera investigative team alleges in the documentary that Yameen advised Umar to take it easy on the investigation into Rilwan’s abduction.

The text message allegedly sent by Yameen to Umar at 5:25 pm on August 22, 2014 says,

“Umar no need 2b overwhelmed by Rilwan case” to which Umar allegedly replied at 7:12 pm, the same day, saying “Ok NOTED Sir.”

Editor of Maldives Independent, Zaheena Rasheed, who gave her interview to Al-Jazeera, said that that text messages implied that Yameen and former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor were involved in or ordered Rilwan’s abduction, or that the government was involved in a massive coverup.

Umar also tweeted that there was little difference between Yameen's and former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed's government - both of which, he said, were corrupt.

No doubt that this is the most corrupt govt ever, but equally corrupt was RNs' govt. Small difference between cholera and shygella.

— Umar Naseer (@UmarNaseerPPM) September 7, 2016

Al-Jazeera investigative team which produced the documentary said that it was based on secret recordings and data obtained from three of Adeeb’s phones.