Jumhoory Party leader and Maamigili MP Qasim Ibrahim. PHOTO/MIHAARU
The Criminal Court has closed the doors on Tuesday’s hearing of Jumhoory Party leader Qasim Ibrahim’s bribery trial.
The court did not disclose any reasons for the decision. The last hearing of Qasim Ibrahim, who is charged with bribing lawmakers, was also held behind closed doors.
The case had previously been thrown out of the court halfway through the trial after the prosecution failed to turn up at a hearing. After state lawyers resubmitted the case, Judge Adam Arif presiding over Qasim’s case has decided to pick up where the trial was previously left off.
If proven guilty of the charges which fall under Section 510 of the Penal Code, the lawmaker of Maamigili constituency faces between two months and 12 days, and three years in jail. However, in certain circumstances, the judge holds the authority to change the sentence to a fine or house arrest.