President Yameen saddened by prison sentence against MP Jabir

President Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that he was saddened by Kaashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir being given a one-year prison sentence by Criminal Court.

Speaking at a rally at Noonu Manadhoo on Thursday night, President Yameen said that Jabir was an old friend, and regardless of their political affiliations, it was always sad to see ‘bad things happen to friends’.

President Yameen said that MPs should be exemplary figures for citizens, but instead, they were often seen trying to misuse their parliamentary privileges to gain impunity.

Yesterday, Criminal Court sentenced MP Jabir to one year in prison for refusing to provide a urine sample after police officers suspected he was intoxicated in the island of Haa Dhaalu Hondaidhoo on 16 November 2012.

The court said that the witness testimonies presented in court by the State were sufficient to convict Jabir of refusing to comply with police orders.

The court also said that Jabir had accused the police officers who testified against him of brutality against him in Hondaidhoo; however, no evidence strong enough to prove this claim was presented in court.

The court further referred to Jabir’s claim that the police did not follow due procedure in requesting the urine sample, and ruled that the documents presented by the State as evidence, however, proved that due procedure was followed by police in making the request.