Hithadhoo court issues sentence despite absence of prosecutor

Hithadhoo Magistrate Court in Addu City has decided to continue criminal cases and issues sentences despite a country-wide refusal by state prosecutors to attend court.

An official from Hithadhoo Magistrate Court told Sun Online that there is no justification for the state prosecutors to refuse to attend court and thus, the court has issued a sentence in their absence today.

“We don’t believe there is a reason for lawyers from the Prosecutor General’s Office not attend court. If they do not attend, we will continue to issue sentences in their absence, in cases for which the hearings have concluded,” the official said.

Lawyers at the Prosecutor General’s Office have refused to attend the courts, stating that they do no have the legal grounds to advocate in the absence of a Prosecutor General or his deputy. Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem resigned on Monday.

Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain on Wednesday said that, according to a Supreme Court order in February, despite the absence of a Prosecutor General, the Prosecutor General’s Office must continue to file suit in the courts and thus, the absence of a Prosecutor General or his deputy must not be an excuse for PG lawyers not to attend court.