Hacked  By  r4dBlack

MALE: The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has threatened to sue an MP from the ruling party for defamatory allegations against former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. A press release issued by the former president's secretariat Thursday rejected MP for Dhandhoo Mohamed Riyaz's claim that Gayoom was carrying a gun during his swearing-in ceremony as president in 1978.

Riyaz made the allegation on the 8pm news on state broadcaster Television Maldives yesterday.

Speaking to Minivan News today, he said he had gathered 470 signatures on a petition so far but had not yet decided whether to submit it to parliament after recess as it might be rejected.

“We might submit it to the 241 committee (on national security). We are discussing it now,” he said.

The secretariat’s press release today stated that Gayoom had cleared up the matter before the presidential election last year.

Speaking on “Siyaasath” (politics) programme a month before the presidential elections in October last year, Gayoom denied being in possession of a weapon when he took the oath of office.

“What is a weapon? I did not use any sharp weapon. No pistol, knife, gun, cutter, nothing. I always had a pen in my pocket. That is the weapon,” he said.

The ex-president said he had “weapons under his supervision” in a speech at parliament, referring to being in possession of the key to the weapons storage.

“Since I had the key to the armoury, I was in possession of the storage to use the weapons in a situation those had to be used,” he said. “The key was handed to me...So that’s what I said. In my hand, pocket, body, I never had weapons and have never used them”

In today's press release, the secretariat notes that similar allegations were made against Gayoom during the presidential campaign, adding some of these had been proven as defamatory in court.

Hassan Afeef, political advisor to the president, was found guilty of defamation in July, after he alleged at an MDP rally in September 2008 that Gayoom had embezzled US$80 million of tsunami aid.

“The Maldivian people will know that defamation is a bad habit of the Maldivian Democratic Party that Riyaz belongs to,” it reads.

It adds that Gayoom will take legal action against false claims by the MDP. “It is important that the Maldivian people consider why MDP has to repeat such claims from time to time.”

But, Riyaz said he was not concerned about being sued for defamation as he had evidence in the form of parliamentary minutes to back up his claim. “I don’t think there can be better evidence than that.”