The High Court of the Maldives has ordered to remand former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb until the end of the appeal submitted by the state in relation to the charges pressed against him.
The Prosecutor General’s Office (PG Office) has pressed 7 charges against Adeeb at the Criminal Court of the Maldives in relation to the corruption scandal of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC). However, at the preliminary hearing of the trial, Criminal Court Judge Ismail Rasheed rejected the charges citing the lack of sufficient credible evidence against Adeeb, claiming the charges are largely dependent on confession agreements signed between the defendant and the PG Office, which holds no validity in court.
The PG Office appealed the rejection of the charges at the High Court, where the appeal trial has now commenced. During the first hearing of the appeal trial, the state attorneys requested the court to order the remand of Adeeb until the end of the trial as there is a strong possibility he could try to flee the country. Noting the former vice president had previously tried to flee the country despite his passport being seized, and considering the magnitude of the criminal charges pressed against him, the High Court issued an order to remand him until the end of the trial.
During the hearing, the defense attorneys argued Adeeb must be kept under home arrest rather than a remand prison, citing health issues. As such, the defense attorneys revealed Adeeb has a pulmonary condition which requires him to use a machine in order to sleep, which would be made difficult if he is in prison. However, the court ruled the necessary considerations for Adeeb’s health will be given by Maldives Correctional Service (MCS), even if he is kept in a remand jail.
The charges pressed against Adeeb at the Criminal Court were rejected on July 14. Following the rejection of charges, Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem criticised the decision by the Criminal Court, stating sufficient evidence has been collected for over 150 charges against Adeeb for his role in the embezzlement of state funds through MMPRC. Noting none of the charges would require a confession statement from Adeeb for it to be proved in court, Shameem said the evidence collected against the former vice president is enough to hand him a prison sentence of 806 years. However, Shameem said the PG Office will only press all charges if Adeeb refuses to go ahead as per the agreement made between him and the PG Office to cooperate with the investigation and plead guilty for 7 charges.