High court reduces jail term for justices
Jail term has been reduced to one year, two months and 12 days
Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed (r) and Justice Ali Hameed
The High Court has on Sunday reduced the jail term imposed on Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and Justice Ali Hameed.
The two were proven guilty for influencing the conduct of a public official and influencing court orders and sentenced to a total of one year, seven months and six days in prison on the 10th of May.
The High Court reduced the jail term by over four months, following which both justices will now serve a jail term of one year, two months and 12 days.
Saeed and Hameed are also charged with obsruction of justice for their refusal to hand over their mobile phones to the police service. They were arrested and taken into police custody on February 6 following allegations of planning a coup.
An additional sentence on Saeed includes a jail term of four months and 24 days in prison over charges of interfering with the functions of the government. Saeed is accused of blocking the Supreme Court from recieving messages by ordering employees to halt the Government E-Letter Management System (GEMS).
Saeed and Hameed also face terrorism charges for the alleged coup plot and if found guilty, they stand to lose their positions in court as well as face a jail term of upto 17 years.
