The Criminal Court has ruled that the Prosecutor General had been unable to prove that two businessmen Abdulatheef Mohamed and Hassan Ali charged with drug trafficking were guilty of the crime, due to lack of evidence and witnesses presented to the court.
Abdulatheef was arrested by police after they discovered more than one kilogram of illegal narcotics inside his car trunk.
However, the court said that there was not a single piece of evidence presented to the court suggesting that the illegal narcotics were imported with the knowledge of both Hassan and Abdulatheef.
The Criminal Court ruled that there was no reason to suspect that Abdulatheef and Hassan had an intention to traffic drugs.
During the investigation period of Abdulatheef, the Criminal Court summoned and ordered his release, a day after the High Court invalidated a letter sent by the Criminal Court to police asking to release the suspect under house arrest.
The Criminal Court first asked police to keep Abdulatheef in detention until his trial reached a conclusion. However the Criminal Court later sent a letter to the police changing the court’s first decision and asking police to switch Latheef’s detention to house arrest.
The police then appealed at the High Court to invalidate the letter. The High Court judges determined that the order in the letter was not consistent with the applicable laws concerning detention, and overruled it.
Latheef was arrested last year in December, as he was about to drive off in his car after loading some vegetables into the trunk.
Police officers attended the area, stopped his car and unpacked the loaded items in his presence and discovered 1083.4246 grams of illegal narcotics containing the substance Tetrahydrocannabinol (found in cannabis).
The Prosecutor General appealed at the High Court asking for Abdulatheef to be detained until his trial reached a conclusion and to rule that Criminal Court’s order to release him was unlawful.
However, the High Court ruled that there was no grounds to overrule the Criminal Court’s decision.
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A classical case; not surprised of verdict. Maldivian judicial system unique in the world!
We should very proud our judges, hence should send couple of judges to International criminal court in Hague.
As regards to witnesses; you four eyes; then only it is considered as witness!
Four-eyed-witnesses notwithstanding, we must not forget that the Police Services are also a vital component of the criminal justice system. They are also failing in their duties because;
- They expect the courts to accept hearsay as evidence.
- They lack the investigative capability to present a solid case in front of the judiciary.
- Individual officers often take bribes and the whole uniformed institution is vulnerable to and often subject to political influence.
So, yes, the courts have their failings, but the current legal system affords a wide degree of protection to people who "allegedly" commit crimes. The alleged are also assumed innocent until proven guilty. The onus of proof lies on the state prosecution in criminal cases. The people pictured above should also be assumed innocent and therefore their acquittal would be considered fair unless the judiciary has willfully ignored evidence.
Hmm., Fishy aint it?
There has been cases of police planting evidence on suspects..but thats mostly at night and at the suspects home or private owned property. Not while hes picking so called "vegetables".
In this case, the police cud have found evidence to keep him in. There should have been some one who tipped the cops. the tipper could give other tips for links to this man's market outlets...but yeah..from all this, what we see is The court is corrupt as well the cops. (not lower ranks...up at the higher ranks, sum1ce pocket seems to be getting heavier)...
Funny still...catch some one with 1kg of whasisname and he gets away wth "innocence" and a state apology....M also not a kid to ask the authorities to convict on here say but i think,,,i just think we all know hu this guy is dont we?
With this system, anyone could get out with murder. I dont see much difference in killing new born babies and selling drugs and killing the entire society..
Maldivians smell fish...this IIISSS fishy.