High Court to Hear Abdulla Shahid’s Appeal Against 30-Day Remand

The High Court is scheduled to begin hearing former UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid’s appeal against his 30-day remand order on Sunday afternoon, 15 November.

Shahid was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of sexually abusing a minor.

Shahid, 64, was arrested under a court warrant on 2 November. The Criminal Court ordered him to remain in custody for 30 days at a remand hearing the following day.

The High Court scheduled the hearing about a week after Shahid appealed the order. Further details of the appeal have not been disclosed. Proceedings involving allegations of child sexual abuse are generally conducted in private.

Shortly before his arrest, Shahid denied the allegations on social media, calling them baseless and saying they were being spread to damage his reputation for political purposes. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu rejected the suggestion that the arrest was politically motivated and described the allegations as serious.

Shahid presided over the 76th session of the UN General Assembly from 2021 to 2022. He previously served as the Maldives’ foreign minister and Speaker of the People’s Majlis. He is seeking the Maldivian Democratic Party’s nomination for the 2028 presidential election.