Wednesday
24th Apr 2024
Dhivehi Edition
Attack on President Nasheed
Court Decides To Detain Ali Maniku And Thasleem On Remand Until End Of Trial
Ali Maniku and Thasleem.
The Criminal Court has ruled to keep both Abdullah Ali Maniku and Mohamed Thasleem on remand until the end of the trial. Both Maniku and Thasleem are accused of being involved with the May 6 bombing which seriously injured Majlis Speaker, former President Mohamed Nasheed.
At hearing held today, the State had argued that both defendants are accused of serious crimes and they both posed a threat to society at large if they were not kept in detention.
Both defendants had been given the opportunity to seek the services of an attorney to represent them at the trial. While Thasleem had appeared in court today with an attorney, Maniku had chosen to waive his right to an attorney.
Ali Maniku had requested the court for conditional leniency. He argued that his detention prevented him from doing what was necessary to procure the services of an attorney, and he said that his extended detention caused his family and himself severe psychological stress.
Thasleem's lawyer, Ahmed Shafiu, said that it was unclear how the State interpreted the charges against Thasleem as a "serious crime", and that it was worthwhile for the State to consider how another criminal court judge defined what was a serious crime.
Ahmed Naushad, on behalf of the State, argued that Thasleem was also standing trial for exploding an IED, and that the law was clear that this was a serious crime. Therefore, he argued, Thasleem should be kept in detention based on these circumstances. Shafiu responded that the circumstances were irrelevant, and that all that should be considered were the charges laid against the defendant.
The presiding Judge Ali Adam said that he believed that the defendants were being charged with a serious crime and that allowing them leniency would, in his opinion, pose a threat to society. He ruled that both be detained in remand until the end of the trial.
Both Ali Maniku and Thasleem are being accused of supporting a terrorist organisation. Ali Maniku had been previously serving a sentence for terrorism, but had been set free after being granted clemency by the Solih administration.