High Court rejects appeal of order to arrest Home Minister

High Court has rejected an appeal of the Criminal Court order upon the Maldives Police Service to arrest and produce Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer to court.

Ameen Faisal, Media Official at High Court said that precedents set by previous rulings of High Court dictates that orders to produce a person to court cannot be appealed.

The Criminal Court order to arrest and produce the Home Minister to court, issued on Wednesday, was appeal in High Court on behalf of Umar Naseer on Sunday.

Two hearings have been cancelled due to the defendant's failure to attend court. Umar Naseer has informed the court that he will not be able to attend hearings before 16 June.

Thamzeel Abdul Samad, Media Coordinator at Ministry of Home Affairs said on Tuesday that Umar Naseer is presently in The Netherlands to secure a sniffer dog squad for the Maldives Police Service.

The Home Minister is due to return to Maldives tonight.

The former opposition leader is charged with disobeying State orders for calling for 2000 volunteers to follow his instructions and use 50, 12-foot ladders to storm the walls of the country’s main military headquarters during a protest near the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) building in Male' on 23 January 2012, prior to the controversial change of power on 7 February 2012.