Neither rule of law nor due process apparent in ruling against ex-pres. Maumoon and SC justices: Ambassador McKinnon

Neither ‘rule of law nor due process’ were apparent in the Criminal Court ruling against former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and two Supreme Court justices, says Canadian ambassador David McKinnon.

Ambassador McKinnon expressed this in a post on Twitter, adding that such principles are the ‘bedrocks of democracy’.

The governments of Untied States and India have also called the trial ‘unfair’ and called on the Maldivian government to ensure judicial independence.

A Criminal Court judge on Wednesday sentenced Maumoon and Supreme Court chief justice Abdulla Saeed and justice Ali Hameed to a year and more in prison.

Presiding Judge Hassan Najeeb found Maumoon and the top court adjudicators to be guilty of obstructing justice; for being in possession of their mobile phone devices but refusing to hand it over to the police.

While the trial proceedings for bribery and terror charges against the trio are also ongoing, which are also described as 'unfair and unsubstantial', Maumoon had protested his sentence on Wednesday.

In court on Wednesday, Maumoon had said that testimonies from his witnesses show that he had attempted to hand over the phone. However, the judge had earlier decided not to accept witness testimonies from the defendants.

The former strongman, a certified scholar with a background in Islamic jurisprudence, also said witness testimonies provided anonymously are not admissible or even permitted in Islamic law.