Abdul Raheem requests additional plea hearing for disorderly conduct charges
Abdul Raheem was charged with disorderly conduct for the behavior he engaged in while protesting ex-President Yameen's sentencing in 2019
Abdul Raheem Abdulla (top image, far right) and his legal team requested an additional plea hearing, saying that they needed more time to evaluate case documents shared with them on the day of the hea
President of the People's National Congress (PNC) and leader of the opposition coalition Abdul Raheem Abdulla was granted an additional plea hearing for the disorderly conduct charges raised against him at the first hearing for the trial on Sunday.
Sunday's plea hearing saw the former parliamentarian for Fonadhoo constituency presented with charges for disorderly conduct under Section 615 of the Penal Code.
Abdul Raheem's legal team requested for an additional plea hearing, where charges being pressed against Abdul Raheem could be clarified. They added that they had only been presented with the documents pertaining to the case on Sunday, and that they would need more time to read and analyze them before Abdul Raheem could plead for the charges.
Following this request, Hassan Saeed, the judge presiding over the case, confirmed an additional plea hearing for Abdul Raheem scheduled for next week before concluding the hearing for the day.
However, despite Abdul Raheem declining to plead guilty or not guilty, the state presented him with the charges raised against him before Sunday's hearing was concluded.
Abdul Raheem was charged with disorderly conduct within the boundary of the Criminal Court in relation to his actions in a protest, with the Prosecutor General's Office having forwarded the charges against him to the Criminal Court last October. Abdul Raheem is charged with disorderly conduct as described in Section 615 of the Penal Code of the Maldives.
The particular protest that had led to the additional disorderly conduct charges against Abdul Raheem were held in opposition to the sentencing of opposition leader and former President Abdulla Yameen to five years in prison in relation to the MMPRC corruption scandal.
In addition to the disorderly conduct charges being raised against him, many note that Abdul Raheem has been exhibiting a proclivity for foul language during his appearances at protests and opposition press briefings in recent months. On 26 September 2020, Abdul Raheem went on live TV where he used profane language against sitting President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
