Criminal Court of Maldives has decided to form a bench consisting of five judges to conduct the trial of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom over charges of money laundering against him.
As per the court, the decision was made after deliberations following request lodged by Yameen at the initial hearing to form a bench instead of one judge presiding over the case. The court explained considering the nature of the case, the court made the decision based on clause 58 of the Judicature Act.
The judges' bench will consist of judges Ali Rasheed Hussain, Ahmed Shakeel, Mohamed Sameer, Ali Adam and Hussain Faiz Rashad.
The decision also comes at a time when the opposition party Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has rebidded to form a bench for the trial.
The next hearing of the case has been scheduled for November 17. The verdict in former president's money laundering trial had been set to be announced on November 5 until Judicial Service Commission (JSC) suspended Chief Judge Ahmed Hailam presiding over the case over disciplinary actions.