Former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb’s lawyers has said that the authorities can no longer prosecute him for allegedly bribing police officers, since they have passed the deadline set in the Criminal Procedure Act.

Adeeb has been charged with two counts of bribing intelligence officers, and the case was sent to the Criminal Court on Thursday.

His lawyer Moosa Siraj told RaajjeMV that the Criminal Procedure Act has set timelines to investigate, charge, and prosecute suspects.

Article 95 of the Act states that those in police custody should be investigated and prosecuted within 30 days. Suspects not in custody are to be prosecuted within 45 days.

Siraj said Adeeb was first questioned on bribing officers in late 2015.

In the case, Adeeb is accused of bribing intelligence officers to gain an intel report, as well as bribing officers at various levels.

The police service has said police reports were confiscated from his apartment, and that officers from the intel department have been observed from security footage entering his apartment at various times.