Guilty Verdict on Fmr Pres Yameen Was Passed Under Duress: Criminal Court Judge

Justice Hussain Faiz Rashad has stated that the criminal court judges passed a guilty verdict on former President Yameen Abdul Gayyoom under duress.

Justice Faiz is among the five judges who presided over the money laundering case filed against President Yameen by the state. In an audio recording leaked late last night, justice Faaiz stated that the judges were forced to pass a guilty verdict on President Yameen because they were forced to do it.

Though he did not get into details of how it was done, he said that there are many ways one can be forced to do such things, such as holding someone close as a hostage.

“Presiding over cases involving politicians is a strange thing. As President Yameen continues to languish in jail under a false sentence, support for him grows every day. We might think that it is a loss for him, but he (former President Abdulla Yameen ) knows everything” said Justice Faiz in the leaked audio.

He further claimed that the guilty verdict was issued in the "best interest" of President Yameen as well.

In late 2019, President Yameen was sentenced to 5 years in jail after the criminal court issued a guilty verdict. However, his trial was highly controversial as the chief justice of the criminal court was dismissed a day before the final hearing. After the removal of the chief justice, a new bench was formed and the former president was convicted within few days. It should be noted that Justice Ali Rasheed who presided over the hearing has now been promoted to the Supreme Court of the Maldives. It is widely believed that his promotion was a "gift" by the government for convicting the former president.