Supreme Court orders against online hearings in disgraced ex-minister's trial
Ali Waheed was arrested in August over immigration issues
Ali Waheed was arrested in August over immigration issues
The Supreme Court has ordered to not carry out online hearings in the case of former Tourism Minister Ali Waheed’s sexual abuse trial.
In an order issued on Monday, presiding justices over the case, Justice Husnu Al Suood, Justice Ali Rasheed and Justice Mohamed Ibrahim ruled to order the lower court to not carry out online proceedings into the trial.
PG Office filed an appeal request at the country's top court, after the lower court decided to continue the hearings in the trial online, asserting that a court hearing should be held where the state can implement the verdict of a Maldivian court.
As such the PG Office cited that holding the hearing for a criminal trial online with the accused currently outside of the Maldives, is in violation of the Maldives Criminal Procedure Code and that the court does not presently have the jurisdiction to penalize the accused.
The Supreme Court had held a hearing in the appeal case earlier, where Waheed was ordered to present himself to court. However, he didn’t turn up, with which he was slapped with a prison sentence of two months and 12 days for contempt of court.
The disgraced ex-minister who has been charged with several counts of sexual assault, was arrested on August 25 while in hiding in the UK, through Interpol. He was preparing for a press conference at the time of the arrest. Ali Waheed’s visa had expired on August 10. 12 days after his arrest from the UK, Maldives Police Service (MPS) was officially informed of Ali Waheed’s arrest on September 7.
Since then, Media Official at the Maldives Police Service has commented that efforts were being made with Interpol to ensure that Waheed is extradited to do his time as per a Supreme Court sentencing issued for contempt of court. The police also said that Police to Police Cooperation was being conducted in the matter.
According to a report received by RaajjeMV, the police are prepared to ask Interpol to aid the MPS with extraditing him to the Maldives, which will be officially sought as soon as possible.
He is being extradited to fulfil his sentencing of two months and 12 days, due to contempt of court. This is being done with the aid of Correctional officers at the Maldivian Correctional Service, as the MCS was ordered to enforce the sentencing.
Waheed, who traveled to UK after signing a guarantor deal with State Minister Assad Ali, was given a four-month medical leave. He departed shortly after being granted the request to travel, on February 9. The period granted to him ended in June.
After the court ruling, police confirmed efforts to arrest the former minister through Interpol and UK authorities.
While the former minister is accused of sexually assaulting ministry employees, seven charges were raised against him in November 2020; including one count of attempted rape, one count of sexual abuse, one count of indecent exposure, one count of sexual harassment and one count of attempted sexual harassment. He is also charged with two counts of solicitation of sexual favors.
Following the allegations against Waheed, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ordered him to resign and consecutively stripped him from the ministerial post after he failed to forward a resignation letter.
Waheed claims that the sexual assault allegations against him were “politically motivated”.
