PGO Withdraws Appeal Over Former Minister Ziyad’s Acquittal

The Prosecutor General’s Office has withdrawn the appeal against the Criminal Court’s ruling that the corruption charges against former Islamic Minister Dr. Ahmed Ziyad Baqir were not proved.

In September 2020, Dr. Ziyad was charged with the abuse of an official position.

The charges were filed against Dr. Ziyad for allegedly favoring a particular party in awarding the contract to the detriment of the state against the proposal of SJ Construction to build a 10-story building on the land where the Zikura Mosque was located.

The charges were dismissed by the Criminal Court on the 2nd of November, 2021. However, the prosecution submitted an appeal over the decision of the Criminal Court to the High Court.

The case was filed in the High Court in April 2022, however the prosecution decided not to pursue the appeal. The prosecution yesterday informed the High Court of its decision, and the court dismissed the case.

In addition to Dr. Ziyad, Ibrahim Abdullah Saeed, who was previously the Head of the Endorsement Section of the Islamic Ministry, was also charged in the case.

He was charged with the abuse of an official position for trying to gain an unfair advantage by stating in the technical report prepared in connection with the proposals by SJ Construction that it was in the best interest of the state to award the work to SJ Construction. The Criminal Court also ruled that the charges against him were not proved.