Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has appealed the decision of the Criminal Court of the Maldives to allow former Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed to attend his criminal trial via videoconferencing.
Ali Waheed had requested that he attend the court hearings via videoconferencing, since he is currently residing abroad, having left the country in February citing a need for urgent medical treatment. Criminal Court accepted the request, and allowed the former minister to attend the first hearing of the trial on June 22 via videoconferencing. PGO objected to the arrangement, stating that conducting a criminal trial with the defendant in a location where the laws of the country do not apply violates the Criminal Procedure Act.
PGO has also requested the Maldives Police Service (MPS) to obtain a court order to seize Ali Waheed's passport. The Criminal Court released his passport after approving him for medical leave abroad in February. He is yet to return to the Maldives, despite the Criminal Court approving him for four months of leave, which expired on June 9.
The former minister is facing charges of sexually assaulting and harassing some of the female employees in the tourism ministry. He has been charged with two counts of sexual abuse, two counts of unlawful sexual contact, a single count of attempted sexual abuse, indecent exposure, and a single count of attempted rape.