The Parliament Committee on National Security Services, also known as the 241 Committee, has launched an inquiry into the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)’s issuance of a directive ordering the Maldives Police Service (MPS) to cease promotions awarded to senior police officers during the final days of the previous administration. The directive was disregarded by the Maldives Police Service (MPS), leading to the initiation of legal proceedings by the ACC.
Despite the ACC’s efforts to seek an injunction to halt the promotions, the Civil Court dismissed the request due to technical deficiencies and a lack of legal basis. The MPS’s non-compliance with the ACC’s directive does not impede the agency from fulfilling its constitutional duties and proceeding with its investigations, the court ruling said.
In addition to the ACC’s directive, the 241 Committee has also commenced an investigation into allegations of forced retirement of several senior officers in the general’s rank and above in the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). Since President Mohamed Muizzu’s inauguration in November, several senior generals of the MNDF have retired, including Major General Hamid Shafeeq, Major General Wais Waheed, and former Chief of Defence Forces Lieutenant General Abdulla Shamaal. Major General Shafeeq was later appointed as an advisor to President Muizzu.
The 241 Committee is also scrutinising a resolution calling for a public inquiry into allegations that policy decisions made by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration had posed threats to national security. This includes a letter from Solih to Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, which signifies a pivotal shift in the Maldives’ stance concerning the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago.
Muizzu, while in opposition, claimed that Solih had shifted the Maldives’ stance in the case related to the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago after ceding a significant portion of Maldivian territorial waters to Mauritius. While the Solih administration denied these accusations, Mauritius’s sovereignty over the Chagos Islands was confirmed earlier by the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion.
Muizzu recently stated that the government is reviewing the ITLOS ruling in order to appeal the decision, a pledge he made during the presidential campaign. Muizzu has also formed a committee to review the case, which comprises of representatives from the Attorney General’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the MNDF. Former Attorney General Mohamed Anil heads the committee, which is tasked with scrutinizing the former government’s handling of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) case that determined the delimitation of the maritime boundary between the Maldives and Mauritius.
The ITLOS decision resulted in the Maldives gaining a larger portion of the disputed waters, totalling 92,563 square meters. However, the Maldives lost approximately 45,331 square metres from its traditionally claimed Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).