Government has no authority to prosecute Nasheed: Thaufeeg

Political Advisor to the President, Ahmed Thaufeeg has said that the government does not have the authority to prosecute former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Thaufeeg made this statement in response to a resolution passed by Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) National Steering Committee last night, which calls for mass protests against the government’s efforts to prosecute Nasheed, in order to ensure that he is not able to contest in the presidential elections.

Thaufeeg said that the three powers are separated in the current Constitution, which means that only the Prosecutor General (PG) has the authority to prosecute persons for civil offences.

Thaufeeg stressed that the PG would press charges against anyone who commits crimes, and that Nasheed is not above the law just because he is a former President.

“Nobody is above the Constitution. Even if you are a former President, you should not expect to escape punishment after committing crimes. The way to be clear of charges is to refrain from committing crimes. How can a person be allowed to go free, unjustly, just because he is a politician? The government has no influence over this. When the relevant institutions complete their investigations and submit cases to the PG, the PG will file those cases to Court. It does not matter whether it is Nasheed or anyone else,” he said.

Referring to Nasheed’s claims in his speech last night that the judicial system is influenced by politicians, Thaufeeg said that Nasheed’s purpose is to defame the judicial system of the country in the eyes of the public.

He stressed that the judicial system of the Maldives is fair and strong, and that the Constitution ensures that the judicial system cannot be influenced by the government. He also reminded that the President has clearly and repeatedly said that he will not influence the judiciary.