Judge will decide MPs

Commissioner of Police Abdullah Riyaz has said that a decision on the detention of the two arrested Members of Parliament (MPs) will be made by a Judge.

Kaashidhoo MP Abdullah Jabir and Henveiru-dhekunu MP Hamid Abdul Gafoor were among a group of people arrested last night by the Police, under suspicion of using drugs and alcohol.

The Police have been informed by the Speaker of Parliament that MPs cannot be arrested just now, as no-confidence resolutions have been submitted to the Parliament against members of the government and independent institutions.

“A decision on the persons arrested in relation to this case will be made by Judges. The Judge will make a decision when those arrested are produced in front of him,” Riyaz said.

When asked about the letter sent by Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Shahid to Maldives Police indicating that the two MPs cannot be arrested, Riyaz said that Police investigations are carried out also with the advice of the Prosecutor General.

“Even if an MP is arrested at the scene of a crime, if Police have evidence to suspect that a crime was committed, they will act according to the authority accorded to them by the laws,” he said.

Riyaz said that the Police have the authority to stop people from committing crimes and to take people under arrest in relation to such cases.