Court releases suspect in child abuse material case
He was arrested on the 5th of last month, and his identity was publicly disclosed by the Maldives Police Service on April 20.
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The Criminal Court has released a 22-year-old man arrested on suspicion of distributing child sexual abuse material through cryptocurrency transactions, according to information obtained by ‘Dhauru’.
The individual was identified as Adam Adlan Latheef of Moonimage, Th. Vilufushi.
He was arrested on the 5th of last month, and his identity was publicly disclosed by the Maldives Police Service on April 20.
According to information obtained by ‘Dhauru’, Adlan was produced before the court on the 5th of this month following the expiration of his remand period. The court subsequently ordered his release under conditions.
Although the release order has not been published on the court’s website, sources familiar with the matter confirmed that the decision was issued with restrictions.
According to the information available, the court cited several factors in its decision:
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The offences under investigation do not fall within the category of serious felony crimes
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There was insufficient evidence to establish allegations relating to the buying and selling of child sexual abuse material through cryptocurrency
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Although police referred to an Interpol communication alleging links between the suspect’s digital wallet and phishing activities, related documentation was not submitted to the court
The release order was issued by Presiding Judge Ahmed Shakeel.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has not appealed the release decision.
According to the report, the Prosecutor General’s Office had initially decided not to prosecute Adlan. However, after police requested a review of that decision, charges were filed against him last Tuesday before the legal deadline for indictment expired.
The charges reportedly include possession of child pornography.
Police previously stated that the investigation began after receiving information alleging that a Binance cryptocurrency wallet was being used in the trade of child pornography.
According to police:
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Funds linked to the suspected wallet were transferred to Adlan’s cryptocurrency account
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Forensic examinations of devices seized during the investigation identified a large quantity of child sexual abuse material stored on the devices
The case remains under investigation.
