Fayyaz Ismail, chairperson of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has called for the resignation of Police Commissioner Ali Shujau, accusing him of yielding to political pressure from the government.

This demand follows the police’s decision to launch a criminal investigation into allegations that the opposition used a recent decision by the Bank of Maldives (BML) to incite a coup and overthrow the government.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Fayyaz criticized the police, claiming that their actions undermine the efforts made by the MDP administration to establish the police as an independent institution.

He expressed concern that the decision to investigate the case jeopardizes public trust in the police, accusing the force of blindly following directives from President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.

He also asserted that regardless of the accusations of attempting a coup, the MDP will continue to challenge the government on its "deceptions and failures."

The police announced their investigation on Monday night, stating that the BML's recent decision to change card limits for foreign transactions, which went against government advice, coincided with opposition political statements about the government's financial situation.

They claimed that social media bots had been used to incite public unrest and that there were indications of an illegal attempt to overthrow the government.

The controversy began when BML suspended foreign transactions for MVR linked debit and credit cards on Sunday morning, prompting widespread public backlash.

Maldivian students abroad and small businesses relying on imports were particularly affected.

However, BML reversed the decision within hours, citing instructions from the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA).

The situation quickly became political, with top government officials accusing the opposition of attempting to stage a coup.

At a press conference, Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer said that BML had acted against government advice, despite multiple discussions about the ongoing dollar crunch.

Shortly after at a People’s National Congress (PNC) rally on Monday, President Dr Muizzu described BML’s decision as part of a larger conspiracy to overthrow his administration, announcing that the police would investigate the matter and hold those responsible accountable.