High Court upholds a detention order issued against Faris Maumoon in 2017

The High Court has chosen to uphold one of detention orders issued by the Criminal Court against former Member of Parliament for the Dhiggaru Constituency Faris Maumoon in 2017, a verdict that was preceded by a period of political upheaval in the country under former President Abdulla Yameen's administration.

The Criminal Court's detention order against Faris Maumoon was released under the context of Faris exerting undue influence on the vote of other lawmakers in the no-confidence motion he initiated against then-Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed. The detention order issued against Faris on 17 July 2017 clarified that he had attempted to influence 42 lawmakers to confirm their signatures for the no-confidence motion against Maseeh, and that should he be left undetained, he would have the opportunity to eliminate evidence and obstruct due process into the investigation being conducted against him.

An additional detention order had also been issued against Faris on 19 July 2017, which was the one that the High Court announced they would be repealing earlier this week on 28 January.

Faris had appealed all of the detention orders released against him that year to the High Court, some of which have been resolved. However, the High Court has chosen to uphold one of the detention orders which Faris had appealed, which is the one the Criminal Court issued against him on 17 July 2017.

Faris Maumoon is alleged to have attempted to execute a terror plot, and to be the mastermind behind the 1 February Supreme Court ruling and attempts made to forcibly overthrow his uncle's government. The Prosecutor General's Office had requested an arrest order for Faris Maumoon on the grounds that he had been influencing the vote of other members of parliament in relation to the no confidence motion Faris had initiated against then-Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Maseeh.

Faris Maumoon had once been detained following the political unrest of 2017, as per the arrest order issued against him by the Criminal Court on 19 July 2017. Faris had remained in prison following his arrest. Faris was released from prison when the results of the Presidential elections of 2018 placed opposition candidate and current President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in a clear lead over Yameen.