The Judiciary Committee of the Maldivian Parliament has passed to give Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem the opportunity to appear before the committee to respond to the no confidence motion against him.
The dismissal case of Shameem was moved to the Parliament by Parliamentarian Mohamed Shahid, following which the case was sent to the Judiciary Committee for further review. Shahid moved the case to the parliament citing that Shameem has used his position for the benefits of selected parties and failed to fulfil the responsibilities associated with the role of Prosecutor General.
The committee, after reviewing the case, made the decision to give Shameem a five-day period to respond to the case against him. Moving Shameem’s dismissal case to the parliament, Parliamentarian Shahid stated that the Prosecutor General should not be influenced by anyone and that the powers of the Prosecutor General should be exercised in accordance with the main policies set by the Attorney General without seeking any benefit for any party.
Shameem is accused of filing the sexual assault charges against former tourism minister Ali Waheed and the case against former Youth Minister Ahmed Mahloof. He is also accused of not appealing the alleged rape case of a foreigner on a safari because a person with ties to the Maldivian Democratic Party is involved. Shameem is also accused of withdrawing the human trafficking charges against former Parliamentarian Ali Riza and cases related to same-sex relationships as well as withdrawal of 77 alcohol-related cases. Furthermore, Shameem is also accused of making the decision to not to prosecute those involved in the ventilator case and being discriminate against employees of the Prosecutor General’a Office.
Hussain Shameem was appointed to the position of Prosecutor General in December 2019. His term in office will conclude this December.