The Criminal Court ruling that allowed for the former Minister of Tourism, Ali Waheed, to leave the country has still not been appealed. Ali Waheed faces seven charges of sex crime; including one rape charge.
The Criminal Court had ordered for Waheed's passport to be returned to him at 11:30 a.m. on February 11.
According to a tweet posted by Prosecutor General, Hussain Shameem, although there was only a 48-hour window within which the Prosecutor General's Office could submit an appeal to the High Court, the PGO had not received the documents which confirmed that Waheed's friend, Assad Ali, would be his guarantor. Despite this, the work of submitting an appeal was underway, said Shameem.
Waheed had left the country within a few hours of having his passport returned to him. Some have claimed that Waheed could only have left in such a short period of time, especially as the guidelines in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic require several steps be taken prior to travel, indicates the government's involvement.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had previously said that Ali Waheed was a "skilled politician" and that he would do what he wished.