Criminal court on Wednesday granted Jumhoory Party (JP) leader and Maamigili lawmaker Gasim Ibrahim conditional release from remand.
Gasim was remanded twice for a total of 19 days before he was freed by the court under strict conditions after prosecutors sought a third remand extension.
The business magnate was originally remanded for 15 days, and had appealed the remand but the High court had backed the lower court saying that there were no grounds for an annulment as the parliamentary privileges and immunity act would only apply to the initial arrest warrant.
By the end of the original remand period of 15 days, Criminal Court had added four more days to his remand. Gasim’s remand of 19 days had ended, Wednesday, and was taken to court for his hearing.
According to Gasim's team of lawyers, he was freed by the court as the police were unable to present evidence to back the intelligence report.
The court sanctioned conditions would prohibit the seasoned lawmaker from partaking or making public speeches deemed to be inciting discord or allowing others to use his property for ssuch incitements. It also stated that he will need written permission from the police before travelling overseas. Gasim is also to refrain from tempering with the evidence and fully cooperate with the police investigation.
The conditions will apply for a period of 60 days, during which Gasim will be taken back into custody if any of the conditions were breached.
The Maamigili MP was first arrested on April 6 over the bribery allegations made ahead of the censure motion against parliament’s speaker Abdulla Maseeh and undue influence on a state official; however, the high court freed him days later after ruling that he was arrested in violence of due procedure.
Gasim was arrested again over allegations of orchestrating a plot to overthrow the government and remanded for 15 days.
The business magnate had three separate charges levied against him, which include, conspiring to overthrow the government, attempting to bribe government lawmakers ahead of the censure motion against parliament speaker Abdullah Maseeh in late March, and undue influence on a state official over which the trial is currently ongoing at Criminal Court.
