Bar Council will probe lawyers that lie reg. ongoing criminal investigations: PG

Legal practitioners that spread false information about ongoing investigations will be investigated by the Bar Council, says Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem.

Shameem gave out the warning via Twitter, but did not mention a particular case.

Noting that lawyers must ensure that trials are carried out justly, the prosecutor general said that lawyers that fib about ongoing police investigations will be investigated by the recently established Bar Council.

He further emphasized the council’s role in ensuring the people’s confidence in the judicial system.

Even though PG Shameem had not mentioned any names in his tweet, the Maldives Police Service last week released a statement denying accusations made by jailed former President Abdulla Yameen’s criminal lawyer, Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed.

While the former president was brought to police for questioning over “additional” cases, his lawyer had told reporters that Yameen was interrogated over a case that was currently ongoing at court.

Yameen was convicted on money-laundering charges on 28th November 2019, after being found guilty of laundering USD through the state-owned Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) via a private company SoF, during his presidency. Yameen was sentenced to five years in prison, and fined USD five million to be paid within in six months. The case was appealed at the High Court.

Dr. Jameel was Yameen's running mate in the 2013 presidential elections, but was impeached through parliament in July 2015 in what can only be described as a move to make way for then tourism minister, Ahmed Adeeb, to take his place. Adeeb was impeached later that year, over an alleged assassination attempt on Yameen.