Failure to summon Nasheed forces hearing cancellation
The hearing was held for 01:30 pm on Tuesday.
Former President Mohamed Nasheed speaking to the press.
The Criminal Court has cancelled its hearing against former President Mohamed Nasheed after it failed to deliver its summon.
Nasheed, who is currently in Sri Lanka, is facing a fresh set of terrorism charges for allegedly detaining Abdulla Yameen in 2010, and holding him ‘hostage’.
The hearing was scheduled for 01:30 pm on Tuesday.
Nasheed had been sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment in 2015 on a similar charge, for detaining chief judge Abdulla Mohamed.
He has since been granted asylum by the British government.
The Criminal Court is already pursuing charges against Nasheed’s Defence Minister Ameen Faisal, who would have presided over the detention in his capacity as head of the defence force.
Prosecutors charged Faisal under the second clause of the Prevention of Terrorism Act’s Article 2 – for kidnapping and taking a hostage.
The case was filed in October, 2016, and all of Faisal’s travel documents have been ceased.
President Yameen, who was then the parliamentary representative to Mulaku constituency, was detained in July 14, taken to Aarah Island in Kaafu atoll, and released on the 23rd, nine days later. Aarah is an island in the close proximity to the capital city Male', that is used as a presidential retreat.
Yameen was detained after his release from Police custody, under a Supreme Court order, amidst speculation that bribes were being funneled to MPs in a bid to remove Nasheed from office.
However, Nasheed’s government maintained that Yameen was detained for his own safety following a National Security Committee decision.
