The state on Monday admitted in High Court that the procedure followed by lower courts during the trial of parliament member for Dhiggaru constituency Faris Maumoon, as being incorrect.
The Dhiggaru lawmaker was charged with identity theft over the unlawful use of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) flag and logo during an opposition press conference and was subsequently sentenced to four months and 24 days in prison.
However, Faris was released on bail by High Court on Saturday following a hearing to appeal his sentence.
During the trial held on Monday, Faris's lawyers pointed out that hearings were scheduled in violation of section 116 of the Criminal Procedure Codes by the lower court.
As per the Code, court hearings must be scheduled after discussions with both parties. The prosecutors had accepted that the hearings were scheduled in violation of the Criminal Procedure Code.
However, the state declared the rest of the decisions made by the lower court to be correct and had requested the Court to rule in favour of it.
The judge's bench posted the question to the prosecutors if they had attempted to raise this issue in the lower courts. The prosecution responded stating that they did not oppose the requests on behalf of Faris to delay the hearing.
The court had concluded all the hearings for this case and is expected to come to a verdict in the next hearing.
In addition to his charges for identity theft, Faris is also charged for corruption and bribery.
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