Judiciary free to decide pace of of trials, president says

Judiciary has the freedom to determine how quickly or slowly cases brought before judges are heard, President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih said on Monday.

Opposition PPM Vice President Ghassan Maumoon had on Monday said that President Solih should take responsibility for the delay in delivering justice for jailed former president Abdulla Yameen.

Speaking to reporters after concluding his visit to the islands of Meemu and Vaavu atolls to campaign for the upcoming presidential elections, the president responded to a reporter's question about Ghassan's remarks.

The president said that the constitution says that as the head of state, the president has to look into matters, but that does not mean that the government should interfere in the functioning of judiciary.

"If anyone, any institution, is infringing upon the rights of anyone, it should be looked into and remedied. I will do what is necessary, but that doesn't mean I should interfere in trials," he said.

Referring to Yameen’s trial, the president said:

“I believe the judiciary is proceeding with independence and is working fairly,” he said.

Referring to the opposition's allegations, the president said the government would always provide assistance to the judiciary in resolving administrative challenges faced by the judiciary.

“The judiciary will decide whether the trial will proceed, how it will proceed and whether it will be delayed,” he said.

Yameen's 11-year prison sentence has cast doubt on his ability to contest this year's presidential election. The appeal over the verdict is pending in the High Court while a second set of charges against Yameen are ongoing in the lower court.