British QC to represent Maldives ex-pres. in investigation into attack on his life
Kirsty Brimelow QC of Droughty Street Chambers London was appointed by the ex-president, to represent him
Kirsty Brimelow QC of Droughty Street Chambers London was appointed to represent Speaker Nasheed in the May 6 probe
Former President and current Speaker of the People’s Majlis, Mohamed Nasheed has appointed a British QC to join the criminal investigation into the terrorist attack targeting him.
The People’s Majlis Secretariat issued a press release on Wednesday, revealing the appointment of Kirsty Brimelow QC of Droughty Street Chambers London, to represent the speaker who was targeted in an assassination attempt on May 6, in the heart of Maldives populous capital, Malé City.
QC Brimelow will be representing the former president and examining the investigation, alongside working with investigators into the assassination attempt. She will be using her expertise to gather evidence as well as to apply national and international laws in collaboration with national and international law enforcement and lawyers, in order to bring the perpetrators behind the attack, to justice.
Brimelow was nominated as one of The Times“Top 100 Lawyers” and twice selected for the prestigious The Times “Lawyer of the Week”. She is also the winner of The Advocate International Pro Bono Barrister of the year 2018.
Following the appointment, the country’s first ever democratically elected leader noted that QC Brimelow’s “vast and relevant experience” will be “invaluable in the onward identification and apprehension of those who schemed, planned and funded the assassination attempt against me which was inspired by extreme ideology”.
Nasheed was targeted in an assassination attempt on May 6, as he was heading out to attend an event in an island. The attack, which saw a remote-controlled IED explode near his residence in the center of congested Malé City, caused serious injuries to the ex-president who was rushed to the hospital within seven minutes after being knocked to the ground by the blast, which was dubbed far more powerful than the explosion in Sultan Park, 2007.
He sustained near-fatal injuries in the blast, and underwent 16 hours of "life-saving" surgery at ADK Hospital. He is currently in the United Kingdom (UK), having traveled there from Germany for further treatment for the injuries he faced in the attack.
Initially, 10 suspects were arrested in connection to the attack. One of them was recently released, after the Prosecutor General revealed that there was not sufficient evidence to prosecute him. However, 12 charges have been raised against four; Mujaz Ahmed, Thahmeen Ahmed, Ali Haisham and Adhuham Ahmed Rasheed. Adhuham, the man identified as the one who detonated the IED, has signed a plea deal with the authorities for a reduced 23-year sentence.
The investigation is currently ongoing with assistance from the Australian Federal Police and American experts.
This is not the first time former President Nasheed has appointed international legal representation. Back in 2015, he formed a three-attorney team to represent him the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) after being sentenced to 13 years in prison on a terrorism charge; his jailing after a rushed trial, marred by apparent due process violations, was ruled illegal and politically motivated by the UN Working Group.
