The Chief of Staff at the President's Office, Ali Zahir, has stated the allegations circulating in the media against himself and President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih are aimed at influencing the judiciary, especially in the ongoing cases involving former President Abdulla Yameen.
Speaking at a press conference held on September 5, the Chief of Staff wholly denied the false allegations against the President and senior government officials through fabricated audio clips and screenshots, adding that the main goal of these accusations is to attempt to influence the judiciary in the cases against former President Abdulla Yameen. Speaking as one of the people who had suffered injustices from the previous judicial system during the former administration, Ali Zahir said one of the key pledges of President Solih's administration was to reform and secure judicial autonomy. He assured that this government has not and will not interfere with the judicial system of the country under any circumstance. He added that the current government had done a lot of work to reform the judiciary, and as a result, the public is gradually regaining their trust in the legal system.
Furthermore, the Chief of Staff said that the main reason for circulating false allegations at this time is to try to influence the hearings scheduled against former President Yameen. He stated this tactic will not work this time and encouraged the bodies in charge of monitoring media to pay extra attention to ensuring the authenticity of the information in broadcasts and news.
The Chief of Staff responded to questions and clarified queries from the media following his statement.