The Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has requested the Maldives Police Service (MPS) to seize the passport of former Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed.
The PGO has stated the MPS is now in the process of obtaining a court order to seize the passport. The current regulations prevent the PGO from requesting the order at the court directly.
The Criminal Court of the Maldives released the passport after approving Ali Waheed for an urgent medical leave abroad in February this year. He is yet to return to the Maldives, despite the Criminal Court approving him for four months of leave, which expired on June 9.
The Criminal Court has also allowed the former minister to face the trial on his sexual harassment charges via videoconferencing.
However, PGO has decided to appeal the decision, stating that conducting a criminal trial with the defendant in a location where the laws of the country do not apply violates the Criminal Procedure Act.
Meanwhile, Dr. Farah Faizal, the High Commissioner of the Maldives to the UK has refuted a claim made by a Maldivian online news outlet that Ali Waheed is currently residing at the house of the deputy high commissioner. She said it was a smear attempt on the Maldives High Commission in London. Various media outlets have published reports claiming Ali Waheed is currently residing in London.
The former minister is facing charges of sexually assaulting and harassing some of the female employees in the tourism ministry. He has been charged with two counts of sexual abuse, two counts of unlawful sexual contact, a single count of attempted sexual abuse, indecent exposure, and a single count of attempted rape.