Trial cancelled due to failure by Ali Waheed to be present in court

The trial of the case against Thoddoo MP Ali Waheed and Galolhu-south MP Ahmed Mahloof regarding obstruction of police duties has been cancelled.

The session scheduled at 10:00am at Criminal Court today to allow the state to present witness statements was cancelled due to failure by Ali Waheed to be present in court. Only Mahloof was present in court today.

When the session commenced, Assistant Public Prosecutor Hussain Nashid said that the same witnesses will provide statements against both Ali Waheed and Mahloof, thus, the state would prefer statements against both defendants to be presented at the same time.

Subsequently, Mahloof said when he was given the chance to speak that he wanted the case to be closed as soon as possible.

Concluding today’s session, Judge Abdullah Didi said that the next trial session on this case will be held on 8 January, and that witness statements will be presented on that day even if only one defendant is present.

Efforts to contact Ali Waheed to get his comment on his absence from court today were unsuccessful, as his phone was switched off.

The charges by the state against Ali Waheed and Mahloof state that they led a group of people to remove road blocks from an area that was blocked by the police near the president’s residence, Muleeaage, during a protest on 25 March 2010.