Parliament Issues No-Confidence Notice to Transport Minister Ameen

The Parliament has formally delivered a notice of no-confidence to Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen, following allegations connected to the ongoing investigation into the fall of a 21-year-old woman.

The no-confidence motion was submitted by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) last Tuesday. The motion claims that Minister Ameen interfered with the police investigation in an attempt to obstruct inquiries into the incident, in which the young woman was discovered on the roof of a building in Malé after reportedly falling from the ninth floor of another building.

The Parliament Secretariat confirmed on Friday that the official notice of the motion had been sent to Minister Ameen. According to parliamentary rules, a minister must receive 14 days’ notice before being questioned in Parliament. However, if the minister indicates a willingness to respond earlier, the Speaker has the authority to bring the matter forward to an earlier session.

The MDP, which submitted the motion with the support of 12 members, held a press briefing shortly after submission. The party expressed concern over the handling of the case, raising claims that CCTV footage from the building had been tampered with and that police had not sufficiently pursued the investigation.

The young woman had reportedly attended a gathering at a residence linked to Minister Ameen’s family on the night before the incident. The police initially withheld the location of the gathering, but later, under public pressure, confirmed the house’s name. It was reported that two individuals at the gathering had contacted Minister Ameen’s elder nephew and other senior government figures.

Minister Ameen has denied the allegation, which he described as taking place in an apartment with no direct connection to him. He also said that he was informed of the incident only the following day and insisted that he had not sought to influence the police investigation.