High Court accepts appeal in Ali Waheed's passport case

The High Court's Judges Bench has accepted an appeal by the Prosecutor General's Office in relation to the unlawful release of former Tourism Minister Ali Waheed's passport by the Criminal Court.

The PGO had first appealed the case at the High Court on 14 February 2021. However, the High Court's Registrar had refused the admit the case, citing that the appeal had been submitted after 48 hours had passed since the initial verdict to release Ali Waheed's passport had been issued by the Criminal Court. The PGO had since decided to appeal the case to the High Court's Judges Bench.

The High Court's Judges Bench has reviewed the case and chosen to accept the appeal by the PGO in relation to the unlawful release of Ali Waheed's passport. An official for the PGO has confirmed to Raajje MV that they have once again appealed the case at High Court as well. stating that Ali Waheed's passport would be cancelled if the High Court ruled that the release of his passport by the Criminal Court earlier in February had been unlawful.

The Maldives' disgraced ex-Tourism Minsiter Ali Waheed, who faces seven charges of sexual violence in court, is reported to have left the Maldives one day before the Criminal Court had issued an order to release his passport. Raajje MV has learned that Ali Waheed, who first departed the Maldives at 11:30pm on 9 February 2021, had arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, disproving earlier assumptions that he had travelled to the UK to seek medical care as mentioned during court proceedings.

Ali Waheed was dismissed as Tourism Minister in July 2020, after allegations that he sexually assaulted and harassed multiple female employees at the Tourism Ministry were brought to the attention of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Ali Waheed maintains that the allegations against him are politically motivated, and is believed to have once again fled the country to avoid facing charges in this case.