MP Faris Maumoon to attend identity fraud hearing on Sunday

MP Faris Maumoon is to attend the Criminal Court on Sunday for a hearing over the identity fraud allegations made against him.

The parliamentarian, who is being remanded until sentencing in July, has been called for the hearing at 11:30 am.

While he was first arrested and remanded over bribery allegations, the Prosecutor General’s Office had put forth charges of identity fraud following a case filed by the ruling party.

Faris is accused of using the Progressive Party of Madives’ flag and logo at a press conference with other members of the opposition, while he had been removed from the party’s list of members earlier.

One faction of the ruling party is loyal to its founder and longstanding leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who is also Faris’ father and now a member of the opposition. The other faction is loyal to Maumoon’s half-brother, incumbent President Abdulla Yameen.

Faris was initially detained but was later released to house arrest on the grounds of ongoing renovation work at the prison he was kept at.

While he is in house arrest, his lawyers have expressed that there is difficulty in mounting a defence against the identity fraud allegations due to a lack of access to video evidence presented by the prosecution.

The state has put forth an anonymous witness, documentation stating that he had been removed from the party, and video footage of the press conference as evidence against the parliamentarian.

Faris’ legal team has also filed a case with the Supreme Court seeking to have the allegations seized until it establishes trial procedures as it was mandated by the Criminal Procedures Act.