Parliament to take no-confidence vote on PG Shameem tonight

The Parliament has scheduled a sitting for Thursday night, during which it will take the final vote on a no-confidence motion against Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem.

The motion against Shameem was submitted to the Parliament by Hulhudhoo MP Mohamed Shahid, a top politician from the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC).

The Judiciary Committee, which reviewed the motion, voted in favor of ousting Shameem on Thursday afternoon, shortly after summoning Shameem for a closed-door meeting to hear his response to the motion.

The motion passed with a vote of 8-2. The two committee members who opposed the motion were both from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Meanwhile, the committee’s chair, Manadhoo MP Husnee Mubarak sat out of the vote.

The motion will require a final floor vote, which has been scheduled for Thursday night.

Thursday’s committee meeting was held behind closed doors against the wishes of Shameem, who had asked for a public hearing.

He said that the no-confidence motion against him was based on allegations that were “baseless, tired, and asked and answered”, alleging that the attempt to oust him was because he created an institution that is free from all undue influence.

In his letter to the Parliament, Shahid cites eight main reasons why Shameem should be dismissed. They are:

• The decision to file the sexual assault case against former tourism minister Ali Waheed
• The decision to file the corruption case against former sports minister Ahmed Mahloof
• The decision not to appeal the lower court’s dismissal of a 2020 rape case, known infamously as the “safari rape case”
• The decision to drop human trafficking charges against former Milandhoo MP Ali Riza
• The decision to drop charges in 77 cases of alcohol consumption
• The decision to drop charges in 13 cases of same-sex relations
• The refusal to look into the allegations of same-sex relations, drug abuse and mockery of Prophet Mohamed against Ahmed Shafeeu, the chief spokesperson of the Prosecutor General’s Office
• The decision not to pursue charges in the ventilator corruption case

On Thursday, Shameem addressed each of the allegations, and said that he categorically denies every single one of the charges.

Shameem said that he does not believe the allegations against him were motivated by good intentions. He said that he was ready to oblige if he was asked to resign, instead of being attacked with baseless claims.

“I am ready to resign if you had just asked me nicely to tender my resignation, instead of making such baseless allegations,” he said.

The motion against Shameem comes after a small crowd of protestors gathered outside the Parliament on July 1, demanding Shameem’s resignation. Their main concern was the failure to abolish indefinite detentions – something which requires a legal remedy.

Shameem was appointed as the prosecutor general on December 8, 2019 by then-President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

He had been a frequent target for criticism by PNC leaders back then they had been in the opposition.

Shameem holds a Master of Laws in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice from the University of Sussex, the United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Arts in Shari’a and Law from the Al-Azhar University in Egypt.

Prior to his appointment as the prosecutor general, he served in other top posts at the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office.