Dr. Jameel: Still have not received case report, losing the right to appeal

Opposition leader, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s lawyer, Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, on Monday, has expressed concern over delays in receiving the case report of Yameen’s Aarah trial which concluded yesterday – emphasizing the subsequent infringement of his client’s right to appeal the verdict.

A practice director issued by the Supreme Court of the Maldives states that the case report of a case must be handed over to all parties involved on the same day the verdict is delivered.

Nevertheless, noting the failure to hand over the case report in Yameen’s case which concluded yesterday, Dr. Jameel told Sun that the appeal process can only be initiated upon receiving the report.

He added the need to appeal early in the case as Yameen is a prospective candidate working towards competing in next year’s presidential elections.

“When a person reaches a verdict in a case, their reason and other things will already be written down right? How can the verdict be delivered without it being written down? This indicates that the verdict was delivered without any preparation. That is how it has to be interpreted,” Jameel had said.

Speaking further, Dr. Jameel stressed that delays in handing over a case report after the conclusion of a trial to the parties involved was a highly unusual event in the Maldivian judiciary.

He also said there were no authorities to take their concerns on the matter, as the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in charge of ensuring accountability by courts and judges is dominated by political influence.

“This means our right to appeal has been infringed. The court’s negligence posing obstructions to appeal is such a major obstruction in establishing justice,” he added.

Noting that he did not accept the court’s verdict in Yameen’s case – Dr. Jameel said that the verdict did not contain any legal references.

He elaborated that none of Supreme Court’s earlier decisions have been taken into account in the verdict, therewith, expressed hope to receive justice in a Supreme Court appeal.

Yameen was charged with money laundering and bribery in connection to the sale of V. Aarah for resort development during his administration.

He was accused of abusing his position and taking a USD 1 million bribe to facilitate the sale of Aarah to Yoosuf Naeem, a former parliamentary representative for Felidhoo constituency, and laundering the said money.

The state has also charged Naeem with giving the bribe.

Criminal Court, on Sunday afternoon, found Yameen guilty on both charges.

He was sentenced to seven years in prison for the money laundering charge, alongside a fine of USD 5 million. As per the judgment, Yameen needs to settle the fine with Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) within a period of six months.

Meanwhile, he was sentenced to four years in prison for taking a bribe.