Lawyer says chance Nazim was framed with weapon stolen from armory

Defense attorney for former Defense Minister Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim, Husnu Suood said that a weapon stolen from Maldives National Defense armory could have been planted inside Nazim’s apartment to frame him.

Addressing questions as to whether pistol found in Nazim's apartment could have come from the armory, police had said earlier that all weapons from armory were accounted for.

Weapons were later found to be missing from the armory after Nazim was convicted, some of which were recovered from underwater.

Speaking during appeal hearing on Tuesday, Husnu Suood said that witness testimony proved that MNDF officials as well as others could have had access to Nazim’s apartment given that he kept the keys to his apartment in his car and in a drawer in his office.

He also said that Nazim had been charged and his case sent for prosecution before investigation into the case had been completed. He requested that High Court overrule Criminal Court’s jail sentence based on witness testimony.

Prosecution said that no witness testified that anyone had broken into Nazim’s apartment, and that witness testimony proved the keys kept in Nazim’s car had not gone missing.

She also said that Nazim’s wife – Afaaf Abdul Majid – in her statement to police said that no one outside of family could enter anywhere else other than the living room of their apartment.

Prosecution asked that a “definitive” verdict be provided based on witness testimony.

Judges said that a verdict would be announced during the next hearing, and that the date for the hearing would be announced later.

Once a trusted member of President Abdulla Yameen’s cabinet, Nazim was sentenced to 11 years in prison based on police testimony that a pistol had been found in his apartment.