MALE, 12 August 2021, (TON): Former Tourism Minister Ali Waheed has been sentenced to two months in prison for contempt of court, after failing to appear before the Supreme Court for his appeal hearing.

The first hearing in the appeal lodged by the Prosecutor General’s Office over the decision to allow online hearings in the criminal case against Ali Waheed was originally scheduled for August 2, but was later rescheduled to 01:00 pm this Wednesday.

However, Ali Waheed, who left for UK after the Criminal Court allowed a temporary ease in the travel ban order against him in February, was a no-show at the hearing.

The Supreme Court treated his failure to appear in court as contempt of court, and sentenced him to two months and 12 days in prison for the offense.

The sentence was issued by Justice Husnu Al-Suood, who presides over the bench looking into the case, citing failure to appear before the court two times despite receiving the court summons.

Suood said that no one has the right to disrespect Maldivian courts in that manner, and that Ali Waheed therefore should be punished in accordance with the law.