--- description: The 'Maldives Independent' reported that it was facing allegations of a "conspiracy to overthrow the elected government" title: Police Raid Maldivian Newspaper After Corruption Allegations image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Maldives](/tag/maldives/) ## Maldives Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Police Raid a Maldivian Newspaper After Allegations Were Made About Government Graft by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 8, 2016 4:52 AM CUT by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 8, 2016 4:52 AM CUT Police raided the office of local newspaper the [_Maldives Independent_](http://maldivesindependent.com/politics/police-raid-maldives-independent-office-over-coup-plot-126418 "undefined") on Wednesday, hours after the release of [_Stealing Paradise_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15N9K3wXh0Y "undefined"), an al-Jazeera documentary that details an $80 million scandal allegedly involving Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. The documentary, produced with the help of local journalists, featured an interview with the _Maldives Independent_ editor Zaheena Rasheed alongside representatives of watchdog groups and opposition-party members. The _Maldives Independent_ reported that it was facing allegations of a “conspiracy to overthrow the elected government.” The offices of a local NGO were also raided and the passport of opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed [canceled](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/07/maldives-newspaper-raided-after-corruption-claims-against-president "undefined"), reports the _Guardian._ The Maldives broadcasting commission released a statement on Wednesday warning that anybody disseminating the documentary’s allegations would be liable for defamation. Last month, the government issued laws making defamation both a civil and criminal offense. David Kaye, the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression, called the move “\[a\] direct attack on the exercise of the right to freedom of expression in the Maldives.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4483419/maldives-newspaper-raid-corruption-gayoom/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4483419/maldives-newspaper-raid-corruption-gayoom/"},"headline":"Police Raid a Maldivian Newspaper After Allegations Were Made About Government Graft","datePublished":"2016-09-08T04:52:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:27:48.599Z","description":"The Maldives Independent reports that it is facing allegations of a \"conspiracy to overthrow the elected government\"","url":"https://time.com/4483419/maldives-newspaper-raid-corruption-gayoom/","keywords":["Maldives","corruption","Government"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/maldives/","name":"Maldives"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4483419/maldives-newspaper-raid-corruption-gayoom/","name":"Police Raid a Maldivian Newspaper After Allegations Were Made About Government Graft"}}]}] ```