Gayoom and Mahloof's Tuesday hearings cancelled

The court has cancelled former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's hearing on terrorism charges scheduled for Tuesday.

The Criminal Court has not given a reason for the cancellation.

Gayoom is being charged with terrorism for allegedly offering bribes to Supreme Court justices and MPs Ilham Ahmed and Abdulla Sinan in a plot to overthrow the government.

He is also being charged with influencing the Supreme Court to issue the ruling on 1st of February that ordered the release of nine high-profile political prisoners and the reinstatement of 12 opposition MPs.

The state has presented 33 pieces of evidence along with witnesses against Gayoom. The defense has submitted 108 names has been submitted to court in Gayoom’s defense, along with 36 documents and an additional 29 pieces of evidence that is required before the trial begins.

Gayoom is currently serving a prison sentence of one year, seven months and six days for obstruction of justice for refusing to hand over his mobile phone after his arrest following the declaration of the State of Emergency, after President Abdulla Yameen, Gayoom's half-brother, refused to implement the February 1 Supreme Court ruling.

South-Galolhu MP Ahmed Mahloof's hearing on Tuesday was also cancelled upon the lawmaker’s request.

While three separate charges have been raised against him, the hearing was for the false reporting charges.

Lawyer Nazim Abdul Sattar was suspended from representing Mahloof’s false reporting case earlier, thus, Mahloof arrived at the court proceeding without legal representation.

The MP had also made a request at the Criminal Court to change the presiding judge over the case, Ali Adam. But the request was denied.

The charges were raised against him for a tweet he had posted in mid-January about medical negligence in jails and accusing relevant authorities of murdering inmates. In the tweet, he said that authorities are killing detainees by denying them necessary medical treatment. adding that it is was serious issue when 10 detainees die in prison within a year.

“Commissioner Shiyan and DOP Salman must take responsibility. I don’t know how many times I’ve made this complaint while I was in prison” Mahloof had said.