Prosecutor General’s Office to appeal acquittal of seven men accused of attacking former PG Shameem

Prosecutor General’s Office (PG) has announced plans to appeal a Criminal Court ruling that acquitted seven men accused of assaulting former Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem.

Criminal Court ruled on April 14 that the men were not guilty of attempted murder with dangerous weapons. The deadline to appeal the verdict expires on Monday.

In a statement on Thursday, the PGO confirmed it would file an appeal with the High Court before the deadline. Under the Prohibition of Intimidation, Possession of Dangerous Weapons and Sharp Objects Act, appeals in such cases must be submitted within 30 days of the ruling.

Shameem was attacked with a hammer in February last year outside his home near Noor Mosque, shortly after returning from dropping off his child at school. The incident was caught on CCTV.

The seven men charged in connection with the assault were identified as:

- Midhhath Adam, 23, Riveli, Raa atoll Alifushi

- Mohamed Jazlan, 22, Javaahiru Villa, Thundi, Laamu atoll Gan

- Zayan Naseer, from Alif Dhaalu atoll Maamigili

- Abdul Hannan, from Muringu, Laamu atoll Maamendhoo

- Rajuwan Latheef, Registry No. 2247

- Ahmed Maisan Hashim

The court acquitted the defendants after ruling that inconsistencies in the CCTV evidence raised reasonable doubt. The footage presented by prosecutors showed conflicting timestamps across different cameras, which the court said undermined the prosecution’s case.

In the judgment, the court noted that the prosecution failed to explain why the CCTV footage from various buildings showed different times. This discrepancy was never addressed during the trial.

The judge concluded that the inconsistency weakened the reliability of the prosecution’s central piece of evidence.

The ruling stated that the unexplained timing issue created a reasonable doubt about whether the accused were responsible for the attack.

PG Office said its appeal would address the concerns raised in the judgment.