Supreme Court to review admissibility of Yameen's new evidence
The session is set for November 20.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for the prosecution's motion to determine the admissibility of new evidence against former President Abdullah Yameen.
The session is set for November 20, following the High Court’s decision to quash Yameen’s 11-year prison sentence and send the case back to the Criminal Court for review.
On April 18, the High Court ruled that the Criminal Court had made errors in assessing evidence related to bribery and money laundering charges against Yameen. The judgment highlighted several issues, including that the prosecution had introduced new evidence in violation of procedural requirements.
In response, the Prosecutor General’s Office filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on July 24, seeking to overturn the High Court’s directives. The case was accepted by the Supreme Court in August.
The hearing is scheduled to commence at 9 am, with Justices Aisha Shujoon Mohamed, Dr Azmiralda Zahir, and Dr Mohamed Ibrahim presiding.
The prosecution has requested the Supreme Court to:
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Ensure the defence has an opportunity to respond to the new evidence under Article 135 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
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Permit both parties to argue the admissibility of the evidence during the trial.
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Direct the lower court to make a fresh determination on the admissibility of the evidence.
The High Court had previously instructed the Criminal Court to dismiss the new evidence and provided guidance for the case’s reconsideration. This included allowing the defence to file pre-trial motions and re-evaluating each piece of evidence separately, while also reviewing the lower court judge’s earlier decision to rule out suspicions about Yameen’s alleged receipt of funds from the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).
