Yameen lodges High Court appeal amidst delayed verdict

Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom has appealed to the High Court over specific procedural matters in the ongoing bribery and money laundering Criminal Court trial, as the court has postponed the delivery of its final verdict in the case linked to the lease of R. Fuggiri.

According to the High Court registry, the appeal was filed yesterday, although the specific grounds for the appeal have not yet been disclosed. The High Court is currently reviewing the submission to determine whether it is admissible.

The appeal was filed on the same day the Criminal Court was scheduled to deliver its verdict in the Fuggiri case, which was subsequently postponed.

As the Fuggiri case approaches its conclusion, proceedings are also progressing in the trial concerning the lease of V. Aarah. In that case, the Criminal Court has decided to admit testimony from the state’s key witnesses, former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb and former Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) Managing Director Abdulla Ziyath, alongside evidence presented by the former President’s defence.

In a pre-trial motion, Yameen’s legal team had sought to have the testimony of several state witnesses, including Adeeb and Ziyath, excluded. The defense argued that their testimony should be inadmissible under the current Evidence Act, which stipulates that individuals whose honesty and integrity are in question are considered to have lost the legal standing of a reliable witness.