Criminal Court early Sunday decided to send back more than 12 charges levelled against former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Ghafoor by the Prosecutor General (PG).
According to local media Mihaaru, it was decided in the Criminal Court Judges meeting held May 29 to send back the charges, upon Judge Ahmed Hailam's proposal. The Judges' meeting made the decision, stating that political influences affected the cases against Adeeb.
However, the charges are yet to be sent back to the PG due to some pending administrative tasks.
The charges include two sentences levelled against Adeeb that the High Court ordered the Criminal Court to retry. The majority of the remaining cases relate to charges against Adeeb in relation to the large scale graft of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).
The High Court ordered the Criminal Court to hold the retrials after voiding Adeeb's jail sentences last week under two charges levelled against him. The charges were related to the USD 5 million owed to the state due to Adeeb's alleged involvement in the embezzlement of Lhaviyani Atoll's Maabinhura acquisition costs, as well as the explosion aboard the presidential speedboat in 2015.
Adeeb was sentenced to eight years for his involvement in the embezzlement of Maabinhura's acquisition costs. He was sentenced to serve 15 years' imprisonment for the explosion aboard the presidential speedboat.
Following the recent annulment of his sentences, Adeeb is currently acquitted of all charges against him. However, the High Court also ordered the Criminal Court to detain Adeeb for 15 days, during which the lower court must reach a decision regarding his detention.
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