High Court orders Qasim’s release

High Court has issued an order to release the Leader of Jumhooree Party, Qasim Ibrahim currently in the custody of the Maldives Police Service.

The order was issued at the appeal hearing this noon of Qasim’s remand by the Criminal Court.

The JP Leader and MP for Maamigili constituency, Qasim was arrested last Thursday in suspicions of bribing MPs and illegally overthrowing an elected government.

The High Court ruling to release Qasim says that he was not arrested at a scene of a crime not while committing a crime.

And so in such a situation, an MP can only be arrested upon a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office on the order of a superior court. And it is stated as so in Article 13-A of the MP Immunity Law. High Court said that Qasim was detained against the MP Immunity Law.

The High Court ruled that the Criminal Court order to arrest Qasim was not legitimate which in turn makes Qasim’s remand an unactionable ruling.

And so the High Court ordered the immediate release of Qasim Ibrahim.

While the High Court has ordered the release, the state has brought forth three charges against the Leader of Jumhooree Party.

The charges against the JP Leader are, offering bribes charged under Article 510 of the penal code, if convicted, carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison.

Qasim is also being charged of influencing official procedures under Article 511 and influencing votes under 540. If convicted, the JP Leader is facing a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

If he is convicted of any of these crimes, Qasim may lose his seat in the Parliament as the MP for Maamigili constituency.