Criminal Court halts Yameen's graft retrial
The prosecution also believes that the Supreme Court case will be affected.
Criminal Court has adjourned the trial of former President Abdulla Yameen in the leasing of V. Aarah for tourism purpose as part of the judgement is being adjourned by the Supreme Court and contradicts in pre-trial submissions.
The prosecution appealed to the Supreme Court against the High Court's decision to exclude the new evidence submitted by the prosecution to refute Yameen's defence witnesses in the previous Criminal Court trial. The case has been accepted by the Supreme Court but the hearings have not yet started.
The Criminal Court on Monday started the hearing on the orders of the High Court. Yameen's defence objected to the hearing.
Yameen's lawyer Hamza Latfeef said he objected to the trial for two reasons:
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The pre-trial motions by both the prosecution and defence include motions that affect the issue of the prosecution's new evidence in the Supreme Court
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CDs containing recordings of Yameen's interviews with the investigation are important for the debate of the motions
The prosecution also believes that the Supreme Court case will be affected.
After considering the arguments of both the parties, the trial judge Ali Nadeem ruled:
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To adjourn the pre-trial motions section as it appears that the decision of the Criminal Court will affect the case in the Supreme Court
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The Criminal Court should provide the CDs requested by Yameen as soon as possible
The trial of Yameen's 11-year jail sentence has resumed in the Criminal Court four months after the High Court quashed the sentence and ordered a retrial. The lower court hearing is being conducted live on YouTube.
The High Court has asked the Criminal Court to quash the three-year jail sentence handed down to former MP Yoosuf Naeem who was convicted of bribing Yameen in the Aarah case. However, the trial of his case has not yet started in the Criminal Court.
