Police summon PPM-PNC leaders over Republic Square sit-in

Top officials from the opposition coalition, composed of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC), have been summoned for questioning by the police, after they staged a sit-in at the Republic Square last week.

A spokesperson from PPM confirmed five top officials from the coalition have been told to present themselves to the police headquarters on Monday.

They are:

• Mahibadhoo MP Ahmed Toriq
• PNC deputy leader Adam Shareef Umar: 11:00 am
• PNC deputy leader Mohamed Saeed: 12:00 pm
• PPM deputy leader Ahmed Shiyam: 01:00 pm
• PNC deputy leader Ibrahim Shujau: 04:00 pm

The coalition had staged the sit-in on Thursday evening to demand the release of the opposition leader Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

The former president had been sentenced to 11 years in prison for money laundering and bribery in December last year. The appeal of his conviction has remained stalled at the High Court – creating uncertainty over his eligibility for the upcoming presidential election.

The five officials had been arrested from the Republic Square, but were released the same day.

According to police, they were arrested for staging a protest in a restricted zone, for obstructing the police from performing their duty, and for failure to comply with orders from the police.