Criminal Court of the Maldives has stated it intends to complete the trial of former Islamic Minister Dr. Ahmed Ziyad within two months.
The former Islamic minister was charged with misuse of official authority under Section 513 (b) of the Penal Code of the Maldives, over the corruption involved in contracting SJ Construction Private Limited to develop Zikra Mosque. The charges were pressed in September, but the trial had been delayed due to changes to the overseeing judge of the case.
The case is currently overseen by Judge Mohamed Misbah, who resumed hearings of the trial on August 22. During the hearing on August 22, the defendant noted the relevant evidence and documents have already been submitted to the court, and expressed concern over the delays in completing the trial of a case which can be quickly completed. The attorneys of Dr. Ziyad noted the pending trial is causing damages to the reputation and position of the former minister, and requested the court to conduct the trial in an efficient and speedy manner. The state attorneys also supported the request to speed up the trial, and called on the court to allocate a revised schedule for the trial.
In response to the request, Judge Misbah said the court also does not wish to drag the case longer than it should. Noting about four hearings would be required to reach a conclusion, the judge said a revised schedule will be shared where the trial is expected to be completed within two months.
Dr. Ziyad is being charged for his role in the corruption involved in contracting SJ Construction to develop a new 10-storey building for Zikra Mosque. The contract, worth USD 8.4 million, was awarded under the contractor financing model in July 2018. However, the current administration terminated the agreement with SJ Construction after the company failed to complete the project within the allocated time frame.