State prosecutors have asked the Civil Court to throw out former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb’s medical case, citing ‘procedural issues’.

A hearing in the case was held on Thursday morning, where both the prosecutors and defence were to handover case documents. However, at the hearing the state requested the Court to declare that it cannot review the case, raising procedural issues.

A hearing has been scheduled for Sunday, where Adeeb will be allowed to respond to the state’s request.

When presented to the court for Thursday’s hearing, the former VP looked quite different from two weeks ago, with his long hair shaved off.

His attorney, Moosa Siraj said that he was forced to shave his head as it became ‘a hindrance due to his deteriorating health condition’.

The case was filed against Maldives Police Service (MPS), Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) and Home Ministry, seeking medical leave and to be transferred to house arrest for the remainder of the medical case trial.

While the case was sent to the Civil Court’s dispute resolution division at first, it was sent to trial in late December, as both parties failed to reach a resolution. In the hearing held at the dispute resolution stage on December 25, the state had declined to issue release for the former VP, even refusing to accept the medical documents submitted by defense, issued by doctors.

Adeeb’s family had released a statement earlier in June 2017, claiming that he has developed an internal cyst, kidney stones, and vision impairment from glaucoma since his incarceration in 2015. The case was filed at the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM), back in May.

The former VP was sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison for on allegations of attempting to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen and for his role in the heavily publicized case of graft involving the state-operated Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).