Qasim being taken back to Dhoonidhoo where he is kept in Police custody after his remand trial, PHOTO:Hussain Waheed/Mihaaru
The arrested leader of Jumhoory Party, Qasim Ibrahim, on Sunday appealed the court order to hold him under police custody during the investigation into bribery allegations against him.
Qasim Ibrahim was arrested under accusations of bribing lawmakers regarding the recent motion of no confidence taken against the parliamentary speaker, and of working to unlawfully overturn the government of the Maldives. The Criminal Court has added six days to his remand, ordering Police to detain him in a place with good ventilation for his health and to complete gathering of evidence within the period.
Police had forwarded the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office to press charges against Qasim before notably taking the case back again, saying that the case has additional aspects to be completed. Opposition lawmakers have since raised doubts regarding the validity of Qasim’s arrest procedures.
The opposition are declaring that Qasim’s arrest is in violation of the Parliamentary Privileges Act, which states that unless a lawmaker is found in the act of a criminal offence, he or she may only be arrested for a criminal charge by an order of a superior court or a court above it. Moreover, such a request may only be made by the Prosecutor General (PG) if a lawmaker’s arrest is required by any investigative forces.
It remains unclear whether the court order to arrest Qasim was sought in accordance with the Act.
Meanwhile, Qasim’s legal team have declared that he was arrested based only on a police intelligence report without evidence to back the accusations. Qasim had been summoned twice to Police headquarters and placed under a travel ban prior to his arrest.