Supreme Court overrules High Court ruling on secret testimonies

The Supreme Court of Maldives has ruled that secret testimonies can be taken in cases.

The ruling comes after the High Court overruled a verdict of the Criminal Court regarding the case of former Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed for refusal to hand over his mobile phone for a police investigation. The High Court had ruled that secret testimony could not be collected under the current Criminal Procedure Code because the laws related to evidence and witness testimonies did not state how it can be done. 

The ruling by the High Court put a number of cases on hold, which led to an appeal of the ruling at the Supreme Court. Supreme Court ruled on the matter today and stated that the decision of the High Court was based on a very shallow meaning of the wordings in the law. 

The Supreme Court stated that it was an administrative mistake in law that the Criminal Procedure Code referred to a law passed 39 years ago and that such a reference by the Parliament in an act would mean that the actual purpose of the law was unattained. 

The ruling by Justice Mahaz Ali Zahir, Justice Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, and Justice Aisha Shujoon overruled the High Court in the matter. 

To be updated...