PG Abbas assures he will withdraw from Yameen's case if there are any conflicts of interest.
Newly appointed Prosecutor General Abbas Shareef said today that he would recuse himself from all of former President Abdulla Yameen's cases if need be.
Yameen is currently facing money laundering and bribery charges at the Criminal Court in connection with the lease transactions of Vaavu atoll's Aarah island and Raa atoll's Fuhgiri island.
The question of PG Abbas' potential conflict of interest in the case stems from his prior role on the legal team that represented Yameen at the Supreme Court in 2018, when Yameen's presidential candidacy was disqualified.
When asked about this during Abbas' first media briefing since being appointed on September 18, he acknowledged his involvement in legal teams which represented political parties. However, he denied being able to recall specifically ever representing Yameen. If he did in fact represent Yameen, he would withdraw from any decisions taken regarding the case, Abbas assured.
"If I have been to court, I have the right to recuse myself. In that case, I will do so," Abbas, who previously also served as a High Court Judge, said.
Abbas said the Prosecutor General's Office has policies relating to cases where lawyers have to withdraw from cases. Abbas also added that he has not participated in any decision making processes regarding Yameen's case.
The charges against Yameen are currently being heard at the Criminal Court.
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