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State to appeal Adeeb's Maabinhura graft case at top court

Fathmath Shaahunaz
02 June 2019, MVT 17:46
Former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb. Supreme Court, on Thursday, upheld the order issued by High Court to shift the former VP under house arrest. PHOTO: MIHAARU FILES
Fathmath Shaahunaz
02 June 2019, MVT 17:46

The state is to appeal the annulment of former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb's jail sentence over corruption charges at the Supreme Court on Monday.

The Criminal Court had sentenced Adeeb to eight years in 2016 after finding him guilty of embezzling USD 5 million (MVR 77 million) owed to the state as the acquisition cost of Maabinhuraa, Lhaviyani Atoll. The case was part of the notorious corruption scandal of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), which saw the embezzlement of over MVR 1.3 billion in state funds through the company.

However, the High Court overturned the lower court's verdict last Thursday, ordering a retrial.

Prosecutor General Aishath Bisham confirmed Sunday that the state will appeal the High Court's ruling at the apex court.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court has decided to reject the Maabinhura corruption case, along with a number of other charges filed against Adeeb, and send them back to the PG Office.

The former vice president was recently acquitted of various charges for which he was serving a hefty 33-year jail sentence. The Supreme Court overturned his 10-year sentence over charges of illegal weapons possession last week, while the High Court overturned Adeeb's 10-year and 8-year sentences over his involvement in the blast aboard the presidental speedboat in 2015, and corruption charges respectively. The High Court ordered retrials for the latter two cases.

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