President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has today directed the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology and the Ministry of Health to implement the recommendations outlined in the final report by the Special Presidential Commission regarding the incident in Malé on 18 April 2025.

The President's instructions to the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology highlighted several concerns about the Maldives Police Service’s handling of the case, including:

- An approximate hour-long delay in informing the investigation officer about Hawwa Yumnu Rasheed’s fall onto the roof of H. Mitaz resulted in the investigation officer arriving at the crime scene only after the Scene of Crime Officer had already collected evidence.

- The absence of an investigation officer before the completion of crime scene processing resulted in the failure to collect comprehensive information and critical evidence needed for the investigation.

- The Crime Scene Officer failed to adequately process the crime scene, neglecting essential duties expected of the role and vacating the crime scene hastily.

- No attempt was made to collect evidence from the roof of H. Mitaz, a critical incident site, where the crime scene perimeter was neither secured nor protected.

The President instructed the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations, including revising police SOPs, providing staff training, investigating employee negligence, and taking disciplinary action, to prevent recurrence of these issues.

The President also instructed the implementation of measures to ensure the recommendations of the Special Presidential Commission are met. The Commission recommended a comprehensive investigation into the events of the morning of 18 April 2025, citing discrepancies in Dawood Ahmed’s statements given to the police and the Commission. Witness testimonies placed Dawood Ahmed at H. Maira, coming to the door to meet Raudh Ahmed Zilal, thereby exposing his involvement and perjury. The Special Presidential Commission also highlighted that leaving Hawwa Yumnu Rasheed without medical attention after her fall onto the roof of H. Mitaz is unacceptable even from a humanitarian perspective. They found that Dawood Ahmed and others who met Raudh Ahmed Zilal at H. Maira following the incident on the morning of 18 April 2025 shared a level of negligence for failing to report the incident to the relevant authorities.

The President's instructions to the Ministry of Health highlighted several concerns regarding Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and its Family Protection Unit (FPU), which operate under the Ministry’s authority:

- ICU staff at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) informed the Family Protection Unit (FPU) to assess Hawwa Yumnu Rasheed for potential sexual abuse after she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. However, the FPU staff failed to follow the clear directives outlined in their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and the assessment was never made. The Special Presidential Commission expressed concern over this lapse, emphasising that doctors at the hospital should be able to carry out such routine examinations upon request from the victim's family, regardless of the FPU's involvement.

- The Special Presidential Commission recommended strengthening the administrative procedures of IGMH's Family Protection Unit (FPU). They advised that any young woman brought into IGMH emergency care as a potential victim must be assessed for visible external injuries, with any identified marks photographed. In cases where sexual abuse is suspected, appropriate forensic samples, such as vaginal swabs, anal swabs, buccal swabs, and other necessary specimens, should be promptly collected for analysis as part of the initial diagnosis.

In response to the issues highlighted in the Presidential Commission’s report, the President instructed the Ministry of Health to take the necessary measures to enhance the administrative procedures of IGMH and its Family Protection Unit (FPU) to prevent such occurrences in the future.