Nazim’s attorney says pistol planted by officer named “Asif”

Defense attorney for former Defense Minister Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim, Husnu Suood said in court on Wednesday that the pistol found in Nazim’s apartment was planted there by a police officer called “Asif”, and that the defense had evidence to prove that.

Nazim’s 11-year jail sentence for possession of weapons is currently in the last stage of appeal.

Husnu Suood said during the appeal hearing at Supreme Court on Wednesday that the pistol was brought into the apartment by a police officer named “Asif”. And that he had taken out the pistol, put it on the bed and then asked to whom it belonged to.

Suood said that the defense had witnesses who can testify to that, asked the court to allow them to summon the witnesses to court.

He said that state prosecution had been unable to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the pistol and three bullets were indeed Nazim’s.

He said that the defense now had enough evidence to prove that the items were planted in the apartment to frame Nazim.

Suood referred to Captain Ali Ihusaan’s statement, and said that the pistol was one of the weapons missing from Maldives National Defense Force armory.

He said that Ihusaan testified anonymously in court that the pistol and three bullets were part of the stock of weapons stolen from the armory and found in Hibalhidhoo.

Suood said that the former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor and some other individuals were now being investigated in the missing weapons case. And that there was no way to link it to Nazim.

He said that, furthermore, there was also proof that Adeeb, former Commissioner of Police

Hussein Waheed, and former Prosecutor General Muhuthaz Muhsin were sitting in a car parked in the street where Nazim’s private residence is located, when the police raid on his apartment was being carried out.

Suood asked that Adeeb, Muhuthaz and Waheed be summoned to court to testify what they

were doing there that night if they had no connection to the case.

Defense had requested to summon Adeeb, Muhuthaz and Waheed to court during the trials at Criminal Court and High Court. The request was rejected on both occasions.

Suood also said that Adeeb had made a conference call to Nazim and threatened to teach him a lesson. He said that Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer knew of this, and asked that he be summoned to court to testify.

Suood said that the search warrant by court was obtained under false claims of an intelligence report received by police. And that it had been later revealed that there was no such intelligence report.

He requested that former Criminal Court Judge, Judge Abdulla Mohamed be summoned to testify as to the circumstances surrounding the warrant.

The hearing ended with court announcing that the chance to respond to the points made by the defense would be provided soon to prosecution.

The case is presided over by Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed, and joined by Judge Ali Hameed Mohamed, Judge Abdulla Areef, Judge Adam Mohamed Abdulla and Judge Abdulla Mohamed Didi.