Ex-Maldives Prez dismisses report of India's hand in 'plot' against Muizzu

The chief of the Maldivian Democratic Party and the country's largest opposition party, Mohamed Nasheed, dismissed a Washington Post report alleging that the opposition sought $6 million from India to aid in a plot to impeach Maldives President Mohammed Muizzu.

The former Maldives president stated he was unaware of any "serious plot" against President Muizzu and added that India would never support such a move.

"I read with interest today's Washington Post article. I was unaware of any serious plot against the President, though some people always live in conspiracy. India would never back such a move, as they always support Maldives' democracy. India has never dictated terms to us, either," Mohamed Nasheed wrote.

The Washington Post report, based on an internal document titled "Democratic Renewal Initiative," stated that Maldivian opposition politicians proposed bribing 40 members of parliament, including those from Muizzu's own party, to vote to impeach him.

"In an internal document titled 'Democratic Renewal Initiative' and obtained by The Washington Post, Maldivian opposition politicians proposed bribing 40 members of parliament, including those from Muizzu's own party, to vote to impeach him. The document also proposed paying 10 senior army and police officers and three powerful criminal gangs to ensure Muizzu's removal. To pay off the various parties, the conspirators sought 87 million Maldivian rufiyaa, or $6 million, and according to two Maldivian officials, it would be sought from India," the Washington Post report alleged.

The report further claimed that a senior officer from India's Intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), "explored" a plan to overthrow President Muizzu months after he assumed office.

"In January, after Muizzu had won and taken office, an adviser to the Muizzu family said, a senior RAW intelligence officer at New Delhi's embassy in Washington explored a plan to overthrow the president with two Indian intermediaries who had political and business contacts in the Maldives. One intermediary was Shirish Thorat, a former Indian police officer who has worked as a private military contractor and who advised Mohamed Nasheed when he was the Maldivian president on how to curb Islamist radicalization. The other was Savio Rodrigues, a publisher based in the Indian state of Goa who previously served as a spokesman for India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party," the report further alleged.

The Washington Post also added, "The Muizzu family adviser provided The Post with surveillance records of phone calls and meetings held by the RAW official and Thorat, who now lives near Washington, but did not explain how the records were obtained. When contacted by The Post, Thorat and Rodrigues separately confirmed the existence of plans to remove Muizzu but declined to say whether they were working on behalf of the Indian government."

However, the report mentioned that it is unclear how seriously India considered backing the impeachment scheme or whether the plan was approved by senior officials in New Delhi.