MVR 50 Million Budgeted In 2022 For Speaker Nasheed's Protection

The proposed implementation of the procedures recommended by Parliament Committee on National Security Services (also known as the 241 Committee); laid out in their inquiry report regarding the May 6th attempt on Majlis Speaker Mohamed Nasheed's life; has added MVR 50 million to next year's budget.

The 241 Committee's inquiry included 45 recommendations to remedy the security breaches that had been exploited for the May 6th attack.

The report recommended that the entry into and exit from Speaker Nasheed's domicile should be controlled regardless of whether or not he was present at the time. The report also recommended armed guards to provide security for the Speaker for 24 hours, controlling exit protocols from Speaker Nsaheed's domicile, procuring a bullet-proof car for the Speaker's transportation, annual vetting of all security personnel in charge of the Speaker's protection, CCTV monitoring of the Speaker's domicile, terminating officers from their posts if they fail to carry out their duties responsibly, appointing national security advisors whom the President would consult, bringing legislative changes to modernise the military, and passing legislation on intelligence.

The additional MVR50 million for Speaker Nasheed's protection has been included in the MVR1.5 billion budget proposed for the Maldives National Defence Force in 2022.