Yameen case: Supreme Court concludes hearings regarding new evidence

Supreme Court has for the second time concluded hearings in the appeal case raised by the State concerning new evidence being submitted by the State against former President Abdulla Yameen.

High Court overruled the Criminal Court's sentence against Yameen for money laundering and accepting bribes, and ordered a retrial. The High Court, however, said that in the retrial, new evidence against Yameen submitted by the State to the lower court should not be considered. 

Yameen was on trial for accepting a bribe of USD 1 million in the leasing of V. Aarah and for laundering that money.  In addition to Yameen, former MP for Felidhoo Yoosuf Naeem had also been handed a prison sentence in the same case. High Court overruled this as well, and ordered a retrial.  

The State appealed at the Supreme Court the High Court's order to dismiss the new evidence. Although hearings in this case had been concluded previously as well, today's hearing was held to finalize procedures following a change in the bench of judges. 

During today's hearing, the State argued that the High Court erred in excluding newly submitted evidence intended to challenge the testimony of defence witnesses. The State requested the court to allow the evidence to be contested during retrials, leaving its admissibility to be determined by the lower court. 

From Yameen's legal team, former Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed stated that the High Court had already ruled in favour of a retrial at the lower court. He argued that the State's move to present new claims before the Supreme Court serves only to delay proceedings and unfairly disadvantage the defendant. Jameel asserted that the State cannot bring up new information at this stage. 

Laywer Hazma Latheef stated that the State had submitted this new evidence to the lower court against procedures and citing an unrelated article. He said that the defence had objected to it even in the initial stage. Regardless, the State had defended this at the High Court, but are now bringing up a whole new debate at the Supreme Court, Hamza said. 

Hamza also said that a new debate cannot be introduced at the appeal stage. 

When the bench of judges asked when the evidence had come to light, the State responded that the evidence had been there right from the beginning. 

The bench announced that hearings in the case have now been concluded, with the verdict to be announced next. 

The case is being heard at the Supreme Court by Judge Aisha Shujune Mohamed, Judge Dr Mohamed Ibrahim, and Judge Abdulla Hameed, with Judge Shujune presiding.