The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has officially submitted a no-confidence motion against Home Minister Ali Ihusaan to Parliament, accusing him of involvement in submitting allegedly falsified forms to the Elections Commission to boost the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) membership.
The motion, which requires signatures from at least 10 MPs, was signed by all 12 MDP parliamentarians. Earlier, the MDP parliamentary group resolved to submit the motion, alleging Ihusaan’s involvement in filling out membership forms using stolen personal information to register citizens in the PNC without their knowledge or consent.
The motion against Ihusaan primarily revolves around three key allegations: the submission of falsified forms, the contracting out of the expat system to Malaysia’s Bestinet Sdn Bhd, and his alleged interference in a police investigation.
The censure motion follows leaked photographs that circulated on social media, showing Ihusaan in a room where ministry employees appeared to be filling out PNC membership forms. Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Ahmed Ali, who is in charge of the Department of National Registration (DNR), was also seen in the images.
The no-confidence motion required signatures from at least 10 MPs and was supported by the MDP’s parliamentary group, which comprises 12 members.
The leaked images showed stacks of forms and passport-sized photographs of citizens, reportedly used for PNC membership applications. Similar images had previously surfaced, allegedly taken inside the Home Ministry.
Responding to the allegations, Ihusaan denied the photos were taken inside the ministry, stating they were captured at the Velana building but not on the Home Ministry floor. “I went there on a day when political employees were working. It was not during official office hours,” Ihusaan claimed.
On the allegation that the DNR supplied public data for the forms, Ihusaan stated that the department no longer provides such information. However, he acknowledged that the DNR database had been leaked previously and did not explicitly deny using data from the breach.