Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has decided to appeal at the Supreme Court to reverse the decision allowing former Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed to attend his criminal trial via videoconferencing. PGO stated it has made the decision to appeal to the Supreme Court after the appeal was rejected by the High Court.
The Criminal Court has approved Ali Waheed's request to attend his court hearings via videoconferencing since he is currently residing abroad after leaving the country in February citing a need for urgent medical treatment. The former minister attended the first hearing of the trial on June 22 via videoconferencing. PGO objected to the arrangement, stating that conducting a criminal trial with the defendant in a location where the laws of the country do not apply violates the Criminal Procedure Act.
Furthermore, the Criminal Court has rejected the request by the state to seize Ali Waheed's passport. Ali Waheed is yet to return to the Maldives, despite the Criminal Court approving him for four months of leave, which expired on June 9.
The former minister is facing charges of sexually assaulting and harassing some of the female employees in the tourism ministry. He has been charged with two counts of sexual abuse, two counts of unlawful sexual contact, a single count of attempted sexual abuse, indecent exposure, and a single count of attempted rape.