Spokesperson: President wasn't confirming Rilwan's death

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s comments this Tuesday that missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla is deceased beyond doubt was not made with the intention of confirming Rilwan’s death, says the Spokesperson at President’s Office.

In a tweet following controversy over the comments, Spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali said Yameen wasn’t confirming Rilwan’s death, but was rather commenting on the “blatant lie” told by former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor regarding Yameen and his Cabinet.

“What he referred to when he said “beyond doubt” was about the sadness felt by everyone over what happened to Rilwan,” said Muaz in the tweet.

Yameen made the comments during his speech at G. Dh. Madaveli following a statement by Adeeb earlier this Tuesday accusing him of stopping a Cabinet-level inquiry into Rilwan’s disappearance.

Speaking during a function held at G. Dh. Madaveli this Tuesday, Yameen condemned the statement, and said it was an “outright lie”.

He said cases like Rilwan’s disappearance was of deep concern to the government, but that no inquiry was held at Cabinet-level regarding the case.

“This investigation was conducted by the police from the very beginning. The police are conducting the investigation even now. We need to look into the death of Afrasheem. We need to look into Rilwan’s death. And we need to look into the deaths of others,” said Yameen.

Spokesperson at Maldives Police Service, Chief Superintendent of Police Ahmed Shifan said he has “no comment at the time” when asked about Yameen’s comments over Rilwan.