Former President and MDP Chairman Mohamed Nasheed has requested the dismissal of what he termed political charges against Thinadhoo Mayor Saud Ali.

The Prosecutor General's Office has brought two charges against Saud concerning the purported unlawful designation of Thinadhoo as a city.

In a post on X, Nasheed claimed the government is pursuing charges against Saud for political reasons.

He stated that “the possibility of imprisonment for elected councils is intolerable” and called on officials to drop the charges.

Since 2007, police have been looking into allegations that misleading population figures were provided to appropriate government bodies to secure city status for Thinadhoo.

On July 10, Saud was called to the Thinadhoo City Police Station for interrogation. Authorities announced last Thursday that the case had been sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office for legal action.

Saud is confronted with these allegations:

Deliberately submitting a false document

The accusation pertains to the population roster sent to the LGA, which supposedly contained duplicate names and persons registered in different islands.

If found guilty, Saud could serve one year, seven months, and six days in prison.

Providing misleading information to an authority organization

The accusation claims that the council misinformed police that a population list had not been provided to state agencies when requested to share the documents.

If found guilty, he could receive a sentence of four months and 24 days in prison.

In 2024, PNC MP Saudulla Hilmy raised the matter in Parliament and the LGA, claiming that Thinadhoo was unlawfully designated as a city. Saudulla stated that Thinadhoo's population was 10,150 individuals.

He asserted that the elected councilors in Thinadhoo assumed the role of mayors and assured then-President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih that the island would receive city status.