An Indian man accused of sexually assaulting a minor was deported after the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) failed to inform Maldives Immigration that his case was in court, the authority has said.
The state appealed the case against the accused in the High Court after the Criminal Court had ruled him not guilty of touching a minor with sexual intent. However, while the case was ongoing in court, Maldives Immigration deported the Indian man in December 2022.
Therefore High Court has now dismissed the case as well.
In a statement, Maldives Immigration said the man was taken into their custody in September last year. They said that PGO had failed to inform them that there was a criminal case against him in the three months immigration held him in their custody until they deported him in December.
Additionally, the court also did not pass any order restraining him from leaving the country, they said.
Even if immigration officials claim they were unaware of his situation, the PGO said on Thursday that they informed Immigration that they were going to appeal against his case.