Ahmed Faris Maumoon, lawmaker of Dhiggaru constituency, has filed a case at the Civil Court over being barred from attending parliamentary duties during his incarceration prior to conviction.
Faris, who was initially jailed in July 2017 over bribery charges, was incarcerated a second time last February on charges of identity theft for misusing the flag and logo of ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). He was found guilty of the latter charge in June, and sentenced to four months and 25 days in prison.
In his lawsuit, Faris has demanded the state to punish those responsible for barring him from his lawmaker duties and to compensate the citizens of Dhiggaru who did not have any representation in parliament during his incarceration up until his conviction in June.
Although the subject in the Parliamentary Privileges Act which accords this right to detained lawmakers was abolished by the Supreme Court, the rules of parliament still state that parliamentarians accused of criminal offenses must be allowed to attend to their duties, even during their imprisonment.
Meanwhile Faris also faces charges of bribery and terrorism. Should he be convicted, the subsequent sentence would strip him from his seat in parliament.
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