Ex-Maldives president rejects report claiming India's hand in plot to remove Muizzu

Mohamed Nasheed

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed has dismissed a report by The Washington Post which alleged that opposition politicians in the island nation sought financial aid from India to plot against President Mohammed Muizzu.

Nasheed, who heads Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and is the country’s largest opposition party, asserted that India would never back such a move or dictate terms to the country.

In a post on X, Nasheed said that he was unaware of any such plan and accused some people of "living in conspiracy".

“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,” he said.

I read with interest todays @washingtonpost article. I was unaware of any serious plot against the President; tho some ppl 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 (@MohamedNasheed) December 30, 2024

The report by The Washington Post, titled "A plot in paradise and India’s struggle for influence in Asia", cited an internal document "Democratic Renewal Initiative" and claimed that opposition leaders in Maldives had planned to bribe 40 members of the Maldivian parliament, including lawmakers from Muizzu’s own party, to vote for his impeachment.

The document also allegedly proposed paying off 10 senior military and police officers and three influential criminal gangs to ensure the success of the plot.

To fund this effort, the conspirators were said to be seeking a sum of 87 million Maldivian rufiyaa (approximately USD 6 million), allegedly to be sourced from India, the report claimed.

The article also alleged that after Muizzu assumed office in January, a senior officer from India’s Intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), explored a plan to remove him.

The report claimed that two intermediaries were involved in these discussions.

According to the article, surveillance records showed communications between the RAW officer and Thorat, but the nature of these interactions remained unclear.

Nasheed, who was president from 2008 to 2012, is seen as pro-India while Muizzu, who came to power in 2023, is viewed as pro-China.