Reference No: 94/08/2012

4August 2012

MDP Expresses Outrage over Lady Scotland’s Involvement with the Maldives Regime

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is deeply disappointed and strongly condemn the advisory role by the ex-Attorney General of the UK, Baroness Scotland to the coup-installed regime of Dr.MohamedWaheed which removed Maldives’ first democratically elected President MohahmedNasheed in a coup d’etat orchestrated by the factions of the security forces loyal to the former authoritarian leader.

In a damning news report by the Daily Mail of the UK, it was revealed she had accepted an offer to provide advise to the regime at 7500 GBP per day for a total of two weeks. The news report also states that she was working with the regime’s Attorney General, Ms. AzimaShukoor who was also the Attorney General during the dictatorship and at a time of widespread human rights abuse in the Maldives.

The MDP strongly condemns the allegation made by the government that the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Jamaica, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Trinidad and Vanuatu had acted improperly. The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group had fielded a 3 member mission to the Maldives, had heard from representatives of the regime and MDP at their meetings, and had acted in a transparent and open manner in all their proceedings.

The MDP has also learned that she had visited the Maldives in June 2012 and notes with deep regret that she did not meet with any MDP officials during her visit to the Maldives. MDP is unaware of any roundtable mediation sessions she is supposed to conduct. Furthermore, MDP did not approach her to provide any legal or mediation work to assist during this extremely difficult political crisis.

“It is outrageous that a former Attorney General of the UK would be party to an accusation that CMAG had acted with bias. The mission assigned to her is deeply offensive, highly deceptive and alarmingly irresponsible.

We are particularly disappointed that such a large amount of money was accepted in return for an assignment that had no basis at all, especially at a time when the money had come at the expense of social welfare programmes”, said Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, MDP’s spokesperson for International Affairs.

“We hope Lady Scotland would return the money to the people of Maldives” Ghafoor added.
ENDS.

Hamid Abdul Ghafoor

Spokesperson, International Affairs

Mobile: +9607778285

Tel: +9603340044