High Court repeals order preventing Ex-VP Jihad from leaving the country

The High Court has repealed the order preventing Former Vice-President Abdulla Jihad, who was charged in the K. Fushidhiggaru case, from traveling and leaving the country.

The High Court presented this verdict at a hearing held on Wednesday, stating that the Criminal Court's order preventing Jihad from traveling went against legal and judicial norms. The travel ban imposed on Jihad was rescinded as a unanimous decision from the judges presiding over the case.

Judge Hussain Shaheed, Chief Judge Hathif Hilmy and Judge Abdul Rauf Ibrahim oversaw Jihad's case at the High Court.

Jihad had submitted a request to the Criminal Court to travel outside of the Maldives on 21 December 2020, following which the Criminal Court announced a verdict that would prevent Jihad from travelling or leaving the country until 20 January 2021 as the Court believed Jihad was a flight-risk and would not return to the Maldives after going abroad.

Jihad's appeal of the verdict to the High Court were based around four major points which are; maintaining that the initial travel ban imposed upon him by the Criminal Court went against provisions in the Penal Code, emphasizing that the crime he is charged with committing is not classified as a serious criminal charge under the Penal Code, and that the Court classifying the crime as serious during the appeal process went against the nature of the initial charges presented against him as well as declaring that the Criminal Court's imposition of a travel ban on him went against the essential right to travel afforded to him under Article 41 of the Maldivian Constitution.

The appeal further recognizes that Jihad presented detailed travel documents and a two-way ticket to the court.

Abdulla Jihad served as Vice-President of the Maldives between June 2016 and November 2018, before which he held the office as Minister of Finance in Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom's administration.