Individual Soldiers Cannot be Summoned to Parliament: MNDF

The Maldives National Defense Force has informed the People’s Majlis that individual soldiers cannot be summoned to parliament for questioning regarding the parliament’s inquiry into the breach of former President and incumbent Speaker Mohamed Nasheed’s security in relation to the May 6th terror attack on his person.

Parliament’s Committee on National Security Services, also known as the 241 Committee, is conducting an investigation – with guidance from experts in the field – into how the Speaker’s security was breached. To this end, the parliament had intended to summon individual soldiers of the MNDF for questioning.
However, in an official letter sent to the parliament, MNDF stated that the institution is committed to providing full cooperation towards the investigation and would share all the necessary information with the Committee. A member of the 241 Committee further shared with “The Maldives Journal” that the letter also stated that while the MNDF would make itself answerable to the committee as an institution, individual soldiers cannot be summoned to the parliament for questioning.

In addition to the MNDF, the Committee is also set to summon officers from the Maldives Police Service for the purposes of the investigation.
While the Committee investigates Speaker Nasheed’s security breach, MPS is conducting a large-scale investigation into the attack against him. In addition, the President’s Office has also ordered that an intelligence audit of the country’s security forces.

The MNDF has been the target of widespread criticism following the attack against Nasheed, especially since it was revealed that the Defense Minister had failed to take additional precautionary measures despite being made aware of an imminent threat against Nasheed in the days before the attack. It has also come to light that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had intended to but was prevented from dismissing Minister Mariya from the Cabinet due to Indian interference.