Jihad Not A Flight Risk: High Court

Former Vice President Abdullah Jihad should not have been barred from seeking treatment abroad by the Criminal Court, as per a ruling by the High Court.

Jihad’s passport had been seized by the Criminal Court earlier. He had requested permission to travel abroad to seek medical treatment. His request had been denied as he had been deemed a flight risk by the Court. He appealed to the High Court, which overruled the Criminal Court’s verdict.

The High Court claimed that the Criminal Court had no evidence to prove that Jihad was a flight risk, and seeking to travel abroad in of itself did not serve as evidence for it.

The State has accused Jihad of wrongdoing in the lease of K. Fushidhiggarufalhu, and lodged the case against him at the Criminal Court on October 25.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the case against Jihad claims that he had acted against the public interest while at the Ministry of Finance, prior to his appointment to the Vice Presidency.

The case against Jihad had been investigated and sent to the PG by the Presidential Commission on Corruption and Asset Recovery.