State to request order to confiscate ex-VP's passport

The state is to request an order to withhold former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb’s passport, as he walked free on Tuesday following Criminal Court’s decision to reject the seven charges pressed against him.

Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem revealed this at a press conference held in the evening, where he also announced the decision to appeal the lower court decision at the High Court.

He added that they will be able to submit the request to seek the order to withhold Adeeb’s passport by Tuesday night, after completing all the required procedures.

Shameem stressed the importance of the order, highlighting he is a flight risk given that he had attempted to flee previously as well.

The Criminal Court rejected the charges against the former vice president on the grounds that a plea bargain signed between him and the state ‘was entered unlawfully’. Adeeb is to have signed three plea deals; one in June 2019 and two in September.

While this is over claims that the plea agreements were signed under the condition of granting medical leave abroad, the PG revealed that two of these deals were signed after Adeeb returned after treatment abroad.

Hence, he noted that the court’s grounds to reject the charges as invalid.