High Court to summon witnesses for ex-defence minister’s appeal
Mohamed Nazim’s lawyer also asked the High Court to consider sentencing him under the new penal code if judges decide to uphold the criminal court’s 11-year sentence on a weapons smuggling charge. Under the new penal code, weapons possession carries a jail term of less than one year.
27 Dec 2015, 9:00 AM
The High Court has decided to summon defence witnesses on behalf of ex-Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim for the retired colonel’s appeal of his 11-year jail sentence on a weapons smuggling charge.
Speaking to the press after a closed hearing this afternoon, Nazim’s lawyer Husnu Suood said the court decided to summon witnesses currently in Malé to a hearing scheduled for tomorrow. A state witness will also be summoned to testify, he added.
During Nazim’s trial in March, the criminal court had refused to call all but two of the 37 defence witnesses, claiming some were not relevant while others could not negate the prosecution’s claims.
Nazim was convicted after a rushed trial that drew widespread condemnation over apparent lack of due process. The retired colonel maintains he was framed by rogue police officers acting on the orders of then-Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb.
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