MP Abdulla Riyaz pictured outside the Criminal Court.
The state prosecution has forwarded another indictment against opposition Jumhoory Party’s deputy leader Abdulla Riyaz to the Criminal Court.
The lawmaker of Kinbidhoo constituency is already charged with trespassing for forcefully entering the parliament house premises last July despite the army barring entry. His latest indictment is Influencing Official Conduct under Section 511 of the Penal Code, which was submitted by the Prosecutor General’s Office to the court last Thursday.
It remains unclear why Riyaz, who was the former Commissioner of Police, is facing the new charge. If convicted, Riyaz would face nine months and 18 days in jail. While he would not lose his seat in parliament, he would not be allowed to attend sittings for the duration of his sentence.
Riyaz is already undergoing a trial at the High Court. He had appealed the Criminal Court’s verdict which had found him guilty of obstructing law enforcement officers after he refused to unlock his mobile phone for police officers, who had confiscated it under a court warrant last March.
Full details are available at the link below:
