The case of Prutova Angelina, a young Russian charged with smuggling 2kg of cocaine into the Maldives has been halted due to language barriers.
Angelina – a 25-year-old Russian national – was arrested on January 27 of this year, when she arrived in the Maldives from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Judge Abdullah Nasheed said that the next hearing will be held only after finding a translator who spoke Russian, according t Haveeru.
According to reports, during the first hearing of her case, with the aid of a translator, the state read aloud all of the charges against her at court. Angelina then demanded for a translator who knows Russian.
“I know English only a little bit”, Angelina replied when the judge questioned her about her English, reported Haveeru.
Angelina demanded for a translator who knew Russian for a second time when the charge sheet was read out to her.
She also said that she wished to arrange a lawyer for herself.
According to reports, Angelina failed to answer when she was asked how long it would take to arrange a lawyer, and the judge then instructed her to arrange a lawyer for the second hearing of her case.
Despite being sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office in April, the case had already been delayed due to a dispute between the Criminal Court and the PG’s office over the provision of a translator.
The Law on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances stipulates that a foreign national charged with importing over 1 gram of narcotics will be sentenced to life imprisonment. There is also a possibility of received a minimum fine of MVR10,000 (US$651).
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