Court asks Yameen's attorneys to amend appeal
With the high court yet not admitting the appeal for more than two weeks, the opposition leadership has been approaching HC everyday.
By
Mariyam Umna Ismail
High Court on Thursday asked the attorneys of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who has been convicted of money laundering and accepting bribes, to amend his appeal submission.
Criminal Court had in December sentenced Yameen to 11 years in prison in connection with the MMPRC corruption scandal.
High Court spokesman Ameen Faisal said that the court has directed Yameen's lawyers on Thursday to amend the appeal form in the case. He, however, refused to divulge any further details.
With the High Court yet not admitting the appeal against the criminal court's verdict for more than two weeks, the opposition leadership has been approaching the high court on a daily basis.
Yameen defended the USD 1 million in the island deal where Yameen was charged, saying it was a dollar-exchange transaction.
However, Criminal Court Chief Judge Ahmed Shakeel ruled that some of the evidence presented to defend Yameen for laundering dollars was not valid and that it was an attempt to show that something that had not happened had happened. The judgment also noted that certain gimmicks used in the case were normally used to launder money.
The PPM-PNC coalition led by Yameen did not accept the verdict. The coalition called it a "haram verdict" in which charges were framed under political influence.
