Qasim’s trial: doubtful of a just verdict with Judge Bari on bench

A panel of three Judges has been drawn up to review the case against Jumhooree Party Leader Qasim Ibrahim.

Judge Adam Arif was the Judge who had reviewed the case so far. However, on Sunday’s hearing of Qasim’s case, the bench had been increased to three with the inclusion of Judge Abdul Bari Yoosuf and Judge Ahmed Shakeel. Judge Bari is the presiding Judge.

At the start of Sunday’s hearings, Judge Bari announced a three Judge panel. Qasim immediately responded that he had serious doubts that a just verdict would be arrived with Judge Bari on the panel. Referring to the remand hearings, Qasim stated that he was cut off while in Court and sentenced.

Judge Bari stated that giving a voice to the defendant in the hearings was at the discretion of the presiding Judge. He also denied that Qasim’s claims that he was treated unfairly during the trial and requested Qasim not to do that again.

Qasim is charged on counts of bribery, influencing on going official procedures and a voter.

The charges read that on March 26, a day before the no confidence motion on Parliament Speaker Abdullah Maseeh, had in a rally in M. Kunooz, Qasim had pledged to support and give party tickets to the Parliamentarians if they voted in favor of the no confidence motion. He is charged with bribery under clause 510 of the Penal Code, with a jail term of eight years if proven guilty.

He also charged under clauses 511 and 540 of the Penal Code for attempting to influence ongoing procedures and voters respectively. The maximum term for these two counts is four years.

Therefore, Qasim is looking at a jail term of 12 years.

Qasim’s lawyers raised a few points, objecting the validity of the three charges raised on the same case, stating that it contravenes the Constitution. They also said they needed time to investigate the evidence raised against Qasim.

The hearings were concluded with another hearing scheduled for Thursday, April 27.