The Supreme Court has set a date for a hearing on the state's request to reverse the High Court's ruling concerning the 11-year prison term given to former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

Yameen was found guilty of bribery and money laundering on 25 December 2022, along with Yoosuf Naeem, who faced similar convictions. The two men subsequently challenged the ruling at the Criminal Court, scheduled to examine the case on 18 April 2024.

The High Court determined that specific evidence submitted by the state must be discarded, noting that the lower court failed to adhere to the correct procedure as outlined in Article 135 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The state has subsequently brought the issue before the Supreme Court, claiming that the High Court’s ruling was illegal.

At the Supreme Court hearing, Public Prosecutor Shafeeu Ahmed argued that the High Court's ruling breached Article 143 of the Constitution, which defines court jurisdiction and mandates that lower courts adhere to higher court decisions.

The panel overseeing the case originally comprised former Supreme Court Judge Dr Mohamed Waheed, Justice Dr Azmiralda Zahir, Justice Aisha Shujoon, and Justice Dr Mohamed Ibrahim. The case is currently being handled by Justice Abdulla Hameed, who took over from Justice Azmiralda.

The ruling by the Supreme Court will decide if the excluded evidence can be restored in the case involving Yameen and Naeem.