Malé City Mayor Muizzu given 10 days to appoint lawyer in perjury case

Malé City Mayor, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has been given 10 days to appoint a lawyer in the case of perjury charges pressed against him in connection to the Noomadi Resorts and Residencies case.

Dr. Muizzu, who filled the position of Housing Minister during the tenure of now incarcerated former president Abdulla Yameen, was charged for providing a false testimony against the state, during June 2020. He testified against the state at the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration on 25 June 2019 as a witness on behalf of Noomadi Resorts and Residencies.

During the preliminary hearing held at the Criminal Court on Tuesday, Muizzu expressed difficulty in proceeding without legal representation, with which presiding judge Sofwath Habeeb had granted him 10 days – the longest period allowed within legal mandates – for the ex-minister and incumbent mayor to appoint a lawyer.

The next hearing in connection to the case will proceed with a lawyer. Muizzu stands to face a prison sentence of four months and 24 days should the offense, a Class 1 offense, is proven against him.

Muizzu was charged with perjury under Article 520 (a) and (e) of the Penal Code, with the Prosecutor General’s Office stating that he stated that the company was conducting work under a schedule without delay, under agreements signed during 2011 and 2013. Muizzu is to have said that he was not a part of the negotiations to recover Dhiffushimaadhoo in Lhaviyani atoll which was leased to Noomadi for the development of luxury villas.

The Noomadi dispute was settled outside of the court, with USD 55 million paid as compensation for the company.

The company was tasked to build 600 housing units under a private-villa module, with the ‘Phase One’ agreement having been signed during January 2011. An agreement for the second phase was signed during January 2013, which highlighted the development of 500 more housing units, a police academy as well as water and sanitation systems in three islands