The trial against Jumhoree Party (JP) leader Qasim Ibrahim’s son Ibrahim Siyad Qasim will not continue until the reason behind changing the presiding judge in the case is disclosed, said the current presiding judge.

In the first preliminary hearing in the bribery case on Sunday, Siyad’s legal team requested that they be given the reason behind changing the first presiding judge, Hussain Shaheed.

Lawyer Noorul Salam asked whether state prosecutors requested the change, to which they replied no.

Hisaan Hussain, who is also in Siyad’s legal team, said that the reason for changing the presiding judge should be explained to the defense and prosecution or else the trial would have violated procedure.

Afterwards, the judge said that the preliminary hearings would continue after the reason for changing the presiding judge is cleared up. But he did not say when the next hearing would be held.

While reading out the charges, the state prosecutor said that police found a black backpack inside jailed former Judicial Administrator Hassan Saeed’s apartment and inside it was a letter dating back to December of last year signed by Siyad in his role as director of his father’s company, Villa.

The prosecutor said the letter contained information which showed that Siyad worked with jailed Justice Ali Hameed’s son Ahmed Misfiru to give USD 2.4 million for three months to three people, as well as that Villa company had made payments to reserve lakefront villas in Malaysia’s Cyberjaya in Justice Hameed and jailed Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed’s childrens’ name.

Siyad was charged on allegations that the financial transactions recorded in the letter was to bribe Chief Justice Saeed and Justice Hameed to order the release of Siyad’s father Qasim Ibrahim on February 1.

Siyad is currently in remand for the rest of the trial.