News Desk
Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has refused to cooperate with a police investigation into the December 2024 Green Building fire, claiming through his legal team that he possesses no special information about the incident despite previously asserting in public that the government knew who set the blaze.
The controversy erupted after Yameen, once praised by supporters in his coalition as the “gut president” for his bold and aggressive stance, alleged during a People’s National Front (PNF) front meeting that the fire at the building housing three ministries and Male’ City Council offices was arson. Yameen claimed that someone close to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu was responsible and insisted that police records already contain evidence identifying the culprit.
President Muizzu firmly denied the allegations, expressing deep regret that a former head of state would make such claims without basis. Following the former president’s public remarks, Minister of Homeland Security Ali Ihusaan ordered the Maldives Police Service to investigate Yameen’s statements and gather any evidence he claimed to hold.
Ihusaan noted that an extensive joint investigation conducted with foreign forensics experts concluded the December 12, 2024 blaze was caused by an electrical wiring fault rather than foul play.
Police officers attempted to serve a summons at Yameen’s residence, H. Dhoovehi, directing him to present himself for questioning regarding the case. However, Yameen avoided police questioning after his lawyer, Hamza Latheef, dispatched a letter to Commissioner of Police Ahmed Mohamed stating that Yameen would not attend.
In the letter, Latheef argued that Yameen holds no information beyond what has already been published in public news reports, maintaining that the former president merely intended to state that the truth of the incident rests with law enforcement. The legal team asserted that summoning Yameen to police headquarters was unnecessary since he could offer no further details to advance the inquiry.
