The High Court of the Maldives has rejected the request by the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) to seize the passport of former Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed, who is facing multiple charges of sexual assault and harassment.
The request to seize Ali Waheed’s passport was initially submitted to the Criminal Court of the Maldives by Maldives Police Service (MPS) on June 23, after he fled the country and failed to show up for trial. However, the Criminal Court ruled that there were no grounds for an order to re-seize Ali Waheed’s passport. Following the Criminal Court’s verdict, the PGO appealed the decision at the High Court in July.
Upon conclusion of the appeal hearings, the High Court decided to uphold the Criminal Court’s ruling to reject the request by the state to seize Ali Waheed’s passport. The High Court ruling stated the passport that was requested to be seized was a diplomatic passport that was no longer valid after Ali Waheed was dismissed from his position as the tourism minister. The court noted Ali Waheed had left the country on an ordinary passport, and therefore there were no grounds for an order to seize an invalid passport.
The High Court also criticised the way the state had acted in the matter, calling the state negligent in allowing Ali Waheed to leave the country. The court noted there was a high chance Ali Waheed would not return to the country to face trial, given the evidence against him. The court added there were other legal action the state could seek regarding Ali Waheed’s passport.
Ali Waheed fled to the UK earlier this year, citing a need for urgent medical treatment. Last week, Maldives Police Service (MPS) stated it has received official confirmation that Ali Waheed is currently being held in the UK over immigration-related charges. MPS added it is now working to bring Ali Waheed back to the country for his trial.
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.