Former Minister of Tourism, Ali Waheed, who had spent the past two years in the United Kingdom after being permitted to leave for medical treatment, arrived in the Maldives on Tuesday, July 11.
The former minister had departed the country amidst Criminal Court trials concerning allegations of gross sexual misconduct and harassment.
Ali Waheed returned to Maldives after the Prosecutor General's office dropped the charges against him following letters from witnesses to the expressing their desire to withdraw their testimony regarding charges of sexual assault and rape. However, on August 11, 2021, he was sentenced to prison for two months and 12 days in contempt of court on August 11, 2021 for his failure to attend Supreme Court on an ongoing trial.
However, it was later revealed that Ali Waheed had received a chit for his online presence in the Supreme Court's trial due to an administrative mistake.
It was also revealed that nearly two weeks before the former minister's arrival, his sentence had been overturned. Meanwhile, the Maldives Correctional Service stated that Waheed had no remaining jail terms to serve.
While the Prosecutor General's Office had dropped the charges against the former minister due to lack of evidence, the Maldives Police Service requested a case revision from the authority.
The Prosecutor General's Office stated that the key witnesses who were initially expected to testify against the former minister had sent multiple notifications to the Maldives Police, expressing their unwillingness to be involved in the case. The authority further explained that, in light of this recent development, they lacked sufficient grounds to proceed with charges against Waheed.
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