Prosecutor General and police know Faris is innocent: Attorney

While it has been a year since Dhiggaru MP Ahmed Faris Maumoon remains in prison, the Prosecutor General (PG) and the police service know the charges against him are baseless, said his attorney, Maumoon Hameed.

He said this at a press conference held to mark the one-year anniversary of his imprisonment on Wednesday.

Faris was arrested in July of last year on accusations of bribing fellow lawmakers and attempting to overthrow the government. The strongest evidence the state presented was an MP who claimed to have been offered a bribe from Faris. However, he later testified in court that Faris did not bribe him. The trial has been at a standstill since.

At the press conference, attorney Hameed said that a proper investigation would have shed light into what really happened.

“Faris’ statement has been confirmed. However, the Maldives Police Service has not taken any responsibility over this. Neither has the PG. Why don’t they take responsibility? They have to. They have been accusing Faris of being a huge criminal via press conference and press releases.”

Hameed also said that it has now been confirmed that the information received by the police is false. However, he said that despite everyone knowing of Faris’ innocence, his trial continued through influence in the hopes that the false charges will stick.

Faris has been found guilty of identity fraud for using the ruling party’s flag and logo without permission and given four months and 24 days in prison. He is also being tried over terrorism.

It is noteworthy that the government faced the most pressure when Faris had been actively working with the opposition.