Nareesh remains silent as appeal of Aarah case is not over

Deputy Mayor of Malé City Ahmed Nareesh's lawyer has revealed that he exercised his right to remain silent when summoned to the police on Monday night over allegations that he had provided false testimonies in the trial of former President Abdulla Yameen's bribery case.

Yameen's defence against the allegation that he accepted USD one million in bribes in the lease of Vaavu atoll Aarah while he was president, was that the funds were deposited into his account as part of a monetary transaction of buying US Dollars from former Felidhoo MP Yoosuf Naeem.

Nareesh is one of the witnesses that had testified in court stating this was true.

However, since the criminal court ruled that it was a fabricated testimony, Nareesh was summoned to the police station at 8 P.M. on Monday for further investigation. He was formally charged with providing false testimony in court.

Nareesh's lawyer, Husni Mubarak, told Mihaaru news that when Nareesh was taken to the police station, he chose to remain silent.

Both High the Court and the Supreme Court have the power to overturn the Criminal Court's ruling regarding Yameen's trial. Nareesh therefore believes he cannot be investigated and punished until a final judgement is made.

Nareesh testified that the MVR 15 million, worth USD one million, was counted at Yameen's residence at his request and then taken in a car and handed over to Yoosuf Naeem. He also testified that Yoosuf Naeem had counted the money after it was handed over to him.

Even though Yameen's lawyers said they would appeal the verdict in the Aarah case, it has not yet been filed at the High Court. They claimed that the Criminal Court has not provided a detailed report of the case proceedings to help them prepare for the trial. Appeals have to be made within 60 days of when the verdict is made.

The police are also investigating other witnesses accused of providing false testimonies in court as well; however, no one else has yet been summoned for questioning. These include former Maavashu MP Mohamed Saeed and former minister Ahmed Zuhoor.