Opposition condemns ‘unfair, politically motivated trials’
The government has meanwhile asserted the independence of the judiciary and insisted that a bomb caused the September 28 blast on the president’s speedboat: “Any suggestion to the contrary is merely scurrilous, and an obvious attempt to besmirch both the judiciary and the government.”
12 Jun 2016, 9:00 AM
The Maldives United Opposition has condemned the terrorism trials of former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, his bodyguards, the former chief prosecutor, and a magistrate as “unfair and politically motivated”.
The criminal court’s chief judge took over the cases in late May and hastily handed down lengthy sentences “on the direct instruction of President Abdulla Yameen”, the new coalition launched in exile earlier this month alleged in a statement.
“This is an atrocity planned and carried out by President Yameen to pollute the entire judicial system,” it added.
The MUO also noted that defence lawyers had raised concerns over insufficient time to prepare, the court’s refusal to call defence witnesses and irregularities in police forensic reports.
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