It has been revealed that the People’s National Congress (PNC) moved to dismiss Dhiggaru MP Ahmed Nazim from his position as Deputy Speaker of the People’s Majlis, alleging that he has compromised the legislature's integrity through political bias.
A motion seeking Nazim’s removal, backed by the signatures of 73 MPs, was submitted to Parliament today. This follows his removal yesterday morning from a WhatsApp group used by President Mohamed Muizzu to coordinate with government-aligned lawmakers.
“The Deputy Speaker has repeatedly abused his position for undue influence, incited discord, and acted with clear bias in a manner that undermines the interests of the Majlis. Furthermore, he has demonstrated political prejudice in all parliamentary proceedings, encouraged the disruption of legislative harmony, and abdicated his official responsibilities,” the motion stated.
This came after the Maldives Police Service compiled an intelligence report on Nazim. On Wednesday, he was removed from the official WhatsApp group used for communication among PNC parliamentary members.
Nazim has also been stripped of his seats on two high-profile parliamentary committees: the National Security Services (241) Committee and the Public Accounts Committee.
While the details about the police allegations against Nazim remain unclear, sources indicate that he is the subject of a "very serious" criminal investigation.
Deputy Speaker Nazim is regarded as one of the most seasoned politicians currently active in the Maldives. He previously served as Deputy Speaker of the Majlis from 2009 until 2015.
Nazim was once a close confidant of former President Abdulla Yameen and played a pivotal role in Yameen’s first political party, the People’s Alliance (PA).
However, following a political fallout during Yameen’s presidency, Nazim was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2015 on fraud charges. Later that year, after being granted permission to travel to Singapore for medical treatment, he sought political asylum in the United Kingdom.
Nazim returned to the Maldives in 2018 after the Supreme Court overturned his conviction.
