Maamigili MP Qasim Ibrahim carried out from the Criminal Court on a stretcher to the ambulance after he fainted during his hearing. PHOTO: HUSSAIN WAHEED/MIHAARU
Jumhoory Party leader Qasim Ibrahim fainted during his bribery trial hearing at the Criminal Court on Thursday afternoon.
The lawmaker of Maamigili constituency fainted in the middle of the hearing which was held at 2:30 p.m. to submit the statement of charges against Qasim. He was urgently taken to state-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in an ambulance.
According to Jumhoory Party, he is currently receiving emergency treatment.
MP Qasim is charged with bribing lawmakers to garner support for the opposition lobbied censure motion against the parliament speaker. As the court is holding his trial behind closed doors, Mihaaru was not able to obtain information regarding his hearing proceedings.
The lawmaker has been hospitalized thrice already due to a debilitating heart condition in the middle of his ongoing trial. According to Jumhoory Party, doctors have repeatedly declared Qasim’s condition as serious and in dire need of a heart surgery that is not available in the Maldives for his ailment.
However, the judiciary has imposed a travel ban on Qasim, forbidding him from travelling abroad until the end of his trial. While his family and lawyers have requested the authorities to grant him permission to seek treatment overseas on multiple counts, the state continues to refuse.