Jabir

The 12-month prison sentence given on 20 February by Criminal Court against former Kaashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir has been appealed in Supreme Court.

This has been confirmed to Sun Online by Supreme Court.

Jabir was sentenced for refusing to provide urine samples to the authorities, following his arrest from Haa Dhaalu Hondaidhoo in November 2012.

The Criminal Court sentence was upheld by High Court on 19 March, which ruled that there were no grounds to overturn the Criminal Court sentence. The High Court also said in its ruling that although the Criminal Court had not allowed Jabir enough time to prepare his concluding statement, Jabir’s lawyer had not raised the issue with the court.

Jabir had also told High Court that Criminal Court had not allowed him to prove his argument that the three witnesses who testified against him could also be the officers who tortured him during the arrest. However, High Court said that the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) report stated that Jabir was tortured by a single officer and therefore, the testimony of two witnesses is sufficient proof.

Further defending the Criminal Court, High Court said that Jabir had failed to file evidence within the period allowed by the court. However, the second tier court also noted the lack of a codified procedure for criminal cases in the Maldives.