Ziyad denies charges, also raises procedural points

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Colonel Mohamed Ziyad has denied the charges against him regarding the alleged illegal arrest of Chief Judge of Criminal Court Abdullah Mohamed, and also raised two procedural points.

State Prosecutor Aishath Fazna Ahmed said at the hearing at Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court today, that Ziyad is being prosecuted under article 81 of the penal code for arresting an innocent person because he participated in the operation by MNDF to arrest Judge Abdullah following the order in this regard by the Chief of Defence Force.

The charges were denied by Ziyad, whose lawyer Mazlan Rasheed then proceeded to raise two procedural points.

The first point raised by Ziyad’s lawyer was that the video of the operation to arrest Judge Abdullah showed that it was carried out by several MNDF officers; which means that the Prosecutor General was biased in his decision to press charges against Ziyad and a few MNDF officers, instead of everyone who participated in the operation.

The second point was questioning the basis of the State’s decision that Judge Abdullah is an innocent person.

State Prosecutor Aishath Fazna Ahmed responded by saying that the allegations against Ziyad were made after due research, and that witnesses had provided statements indicating that Ziyad participated in the meetings held in relation to arresting Judge Abdullah.

She said that the sole task of the MNDF team that went to arrest Judge Abdullah was to implement an order, whereas Ziyad also participated in the meetings held in relation to Judge Abdullah’s arrest and thus would have been aware that the operation was illegal.