The Prosecutor General’s Office has appealed the High Court’s ruling to dismiss terrorism charges against Mohamed Ameen, at the Supreme Court.

The PG Office appealed the High Court’s ruling at the country’s top court, citing that the High Court ruling is against Article 26 (k) of the Anti-Terrorism Act and that the court had failed to consider the exceptions to the statute of limitations stipulated in the act when raising charges and investigating cases related to terrorism.

The ruling was appealed at Supreme Court on Monday.

In an interview with RaajjeMV, Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem revealed that the High Court ruling states that stipulations under the Criminal Procedure Code must be followed. However, Shameem noted that the Anti-Terrorism Act was established to ease the procedure for cases linked to terrorism, under the Criminal Procedure code, as the mandates under the code prove to be difficult. The law grants specific powers upon the Maldives Police Service, state institutions as well as the PG Office.

Ameen was charged with being involved in a terrorist organization and conspiring to carry out an act of terrorism. He is the first Maldivian to have been listed as a terrorist by the United States Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The High Court dismissed the terrorism charges filed against Mohamed Ameen, native to Fuvahmulah City and arrested under allegations of recruiting persons to terrorist organizations, which in turn releases the suspect from custody.

Although the High Court revealed that the charges were dismissed as they were filed after the statute of limitation was expired, PG Shameem stated that the charges were filed within the mandated period.

On Sunday night, the High Court also issued a MoniCon order against Ameen, which bars him from traveling out of the capital city without authorization from the Maldives Police Service.

The MoniCon order is effective for a period of one month and bars him from leaving his residence from 6pm to 6am.

According to police, the Fuvahmulah City native is a suspected leader of the faction of terror organization Islamic State in the Maldives.