Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer has shared the ambitious multilateral agenda of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration with the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres. This discussion took place during Minister Zameer’s visit to New York City as part of his itinerary in the United States.

In the meeting, Minister Zameer emphasised the importance of building on the momentum from the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4). He highlighted the crucial role of the UN System in achieving sustainable development, peace, and security, and praised the Secretary General for his continuous efforts to uphold the UN Charter.

Secretary General Guterres acknowledged the leadership role of the Maldives at the SIDS4 Conference and other multilateral forums, particularly in climate change and financing for development. He reiterated the UN’s commitment to supporting the achievement of sustainable development goals and ensuring global peace and security.

Minister Zameer was accompanied by the Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the UN, Ambassador Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed, Secretary for Bilateral Affairs Dr. Hala Hameed, Senior Undersecretary Hassan Hussain Shihab, and Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of the Maldives to the UN, Naufa Rushdi.

In another meeting with the Under Secretary General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Li Junhua, discussions focused on how the Maldives can collaborate with the UN DESA to enhance resilience, productivity, and capacity.

Minister Zameer also engaged with the Maldivian community in New York and New Jersey over evening tea, assuring them that maintaining and enhancing consular services is a high priority. He hosted a working lunch for tour operators and travel advisors based in New York, providing an overview of the Maldivian tourism industry and stressing the importance of promoting Maldives tourism in the US market.

Furthermore, Minister Zameer met with the Ambassador of Palestine to the UN, Riyad Mansour, and reiterated the Maldives’ solidarity with Palestine and their right to self-determination. He called for an immediate end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and expressed support for the admission of Palestine as a full UN member.

Minister Zameer’s US visit began in Washington, D.C., where he held meetings with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power, the US Council on Foreign Relations, and several congress members. He also met with the Maldivian community residing in Washington.

Source(s): PsmNews

Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan has condemned acts of bribery within uniformed bodies, emphasizing that such behavior is unacceptable and constitutes a betrayal of the nation. His remarks were made during a press conference addressing the recent arrests of Maldives Correctional Service officers for allegedly accepting bribes and violating the law.

Minister Ihusaan stressed that individuals who apply for positions within uniformed bodies, which demand the highest level of integrity, do so voluntarily and must remain loyal and honest in their service to the nation. He highlighted the importance of integrity, stating that officers should uphold the nation’s values as long as they are in their positions.

The minister pointed out that if officers face obstacles to performing their duties with integrity and honesty, or if they are denied their rights, there are mechanisms within each institution to seek assistance. He reiterated that no officer is coerced into joining enforcement bodies, and thus there is no justification for betraying the nation.

Minister Ihusaan stated that officers who accept bribes are not true officers but criminals. He urged officers to avoid any causes that might lead to betrayal. To deter such practices, he announced plans to strengthen the training of enforcement agencies.

Additionally, the Minister mentioned that an investigation would be conducted to understand why such actions by officers are not being adequately addressed. The investigation aims to identify and rectify any lapses in the system to prevent future occurrences of bribery and corruption.

Source(s): PsmNews

Maldives Police Service, on Friday, announced that the number of prison officers arrested on the suspicion of smuggling drugs and other contraband to prison has increased to 13.

During a home sector press conference held last night, authorities revealed details of an investigation that uncovered that 18 prison officers of Maldives Correctional Service were involved in smuggling drugs to prisons, with their bank accounts containing MVR 73 million.

The Police, last night, said only eight prison officers have been arrested so far. However, this morning, they announced an increase in the number of arrestees – which now stands at 13.

They include nine prison officers arrested from K. Maafushi, two from K. Kaashidhoo, one from HA. Utheem and one from Male’ City. No further details regarding the arrestees were disclosed by the Police.

Speaking at last night’s press conference, Home Minister Ali Ihusan, underscoring six of 18 prison officers involved have resigned from Corrections this year, said action will nevertheless be initiated against them. The remaining officers are still employed by Corrections.

It was noted the bank accounts of the six individuals who resigned contained large sums of money despite them not being employed at another job or carrying out a business.

“In this regard, MVR 24 million has been deposited to the accounts of some staff. Through our investigations, we uncovered that approximately MVR 73,600.000 have been deposited to the accounts of these 18 staff starting from January 2023 to date,” Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chief Superintendent Abdulla Shareef said.

The money had been transferred from accounts of detainees in prison and known criminals in Male’ area.

Home Minister Ali Ihusan the circulation of such a large amount of money among several accounts will “surely” be investigated. He added that the transfers had gone unnoticed by the bank as they were made in small sums.

Source(s): sun.mv