Rifts among state attorneys over dropping Mahloof's charges
An official from the PG office told Atoll Times that the team of lawyers involved in the MMPRC cases has not been clubbed together.
By
Mohamed Muzayyin Nazim
The decision to withdraw charges against youth minister Ahmed Mahloof in connection with the MMPRC corruption scandal has led to rifts among lawyers at the Prosecutor General's Office, with some having distanced themselves from MMPRC cases.
A year after Mahloof was charged for allegedly receiving funds siphoned off from tourism leases, the PG office decided to withdraw the charges. However, the PG office is yet to officially release details.
A reliable source confirmed to Atoll Times on Tuesday that when PG Hussain Shameem tried to withdraw Mahloof's case, the state attorneys working on MMPRC cases were unhappy and opposed it. The lawyers also said that they will avoid MMPRC cases if they had to drop cases at whims.
"When the lawyers tried to recuse themselves from the case [the charge against Mahloof], the counsel for the unit was transferred. The memo was sent while they were trying to recuse from the case," the source said.
The attorneys who had argued in MMPRC cases:
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Public prosecutor Ahmed Naufal
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Public prosecutor Aiminath Shama Naseer
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Public prosecutor Mariyam Shahma
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Public prosecutor Hawwa Naahi
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Public prosecutor Mazih Mohamed
The information received by Atoll Times is further strengthened by the fact that the MMPRC case involving former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, which was held at the High Court on Tuesday, was attended by lawyers who had not been seen in MMPRC cases previously.
The newly appointed team of lawyers for MMPRC cases:
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Public prosecutor Hussain Sami
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Public prosecutor Adam Amr
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Public prosecutor Mohamed Abdulla
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Public prosecutor Ina Moosa
Both Sami and Amr arrived for the hearing in the High Court on Tuesday.
An official from the PG office told Atoll Times that the team of lawyers involved in the MMPRC cases has not been clubbed together. He, however, added that "a small change has been made to increase efficiency".
"It's very common," he said.
Under the Prevention of Corruption and Prohibition Act, Mahloof was charged with accepting a bribe of USD 33,000 (MVR 508,860) and the case was filed in court in November 2021. Since then, there have been various changes.
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The trial court had initially dismissed the prosecution's case on the ground that it did not have sufficient weight to proceed with the charge sheet
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On March 6, 2022, the state had moved the High Court challenging the trial court's verdict
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On March 21, 2022, the High Court overturned the verdict and ordered a retrial
On June 9, 2021, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) forwarded a request to the PG office seeking a bribery case in connection with the MMPRC money case. Mahloof's charge sheet was filed in the court five months later.
The state's charge sheet states:
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Mahloof, who was at the time the MP for Galolhu South constituency, took bribes on August 27, 2014 for a vote in favour of the Special Economic Zone Bill
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The then tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb gave USD 33,000 to Mahloof through a cheque issued from an account opened in the name of SOF Private Limited with the Bank of Maldives (BML)
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The money was deposited in the account opened in the name of Mahloof on September 1, 2014
