Anil: UN has no authority to say a specific person can run in the elections

Attorney General of the Maldives, Mohamed Anil, has said that the United Nations have no authority to decide that a specific person is eligible to run in Maldivian Presidential Election this year.

Last week, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, said that the UN would rule that the former President Mohamed Nasheed can run in the Presidential Election this year.

Responding to it on TVM's "Raajje Miadhu" program last night, Attorney General, Anil, said that Dr. Shaheed is well aware of the international standard and no UN body can order the Maldives to allow Nasheed to run for president.

Anil said that UN Human Rights Committee is currently looking into the unlawful arrest of the Chief Judge of the Criminal, Abdulla Mohamed, during the presidency of Mohamed Nasheed and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has previously ruled that the conviction of Mohamed Nasheed for the arrest was not legitimate.

President Nasheed is currently in self exile in the UK after leaving the country under the guise of medical treatment while serving a 13-year prison sentence. The Maldivian Constitution states that a person serving a prison sentence cannot run in an election. The former president is making almost monthly trips to Sri Lanka to meet with his supporters.