PG withdraws bribery allegations against Faris

The Prosecutor General (PG) on Thursday withdrew the bribery charges against Dhiggaru MP, Faris Maumoon.

Faris was charged with influencing and bribing other lawmakers on the parliament into signing an impeachment motion against then parliament speaker, Abdulla Maseeh.

The Criminal Court had conducted hearings for the case once the lawsuit was filed by the PG. A secret witness produced by the State to give testimony against Faris had testified in court in favor of Faris. The lawmaker who gave the statement denied that Faris had offered any form of bribe at any point. The hearings have been at a standstill since then.

The Prosecutor General on Thursday withdrew the case from the Criminal Court and sent it back to Maldives Police Service.

Faris was also charged with identity theft and was convicted of the offense. He was sentenced to four months and 24 days in jail. He was released after he was acquitted from the charges in a ruling made by the High Court during October of last year.