The Supreme Court has overruled the sentence passed against the former Vice President, Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor, for possession of a firearm.
Supreme Court has overruled the sentence after the lower courts have supported the initial sentence.
The former Vice President was sentenced to ten years in prison on 5 June 2016 by the Criminal Court after a testimony that said he was in possession of a firearm.
A witness testified in court that Adeeb had a firearm on the day before the May Day rally in 2015. After that, a testimony was given after a search of his residence at Rehendhi Flat.
The hearing today at the Supreme Court was an appeal filed by Adeeb.
While the court has overruled the initial sentence, at a previous appeal hearing, the Prosecutor General’s Office, too, withdrew support for the sentence. Adeeb has repeatedly stated that the sentence against was a political one.
Aside from the firearm possession, Adeeb was also sentenced to 15 years on a terrorism charge in connection with the explosion on board the Presidential Launch.
Initially with numerous charges of terrorism and corruption pending against him, Adeeb now faces only one sentence; the eight-year sentence following the corruption in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).
