Criminal Court Rules Case Against Thinaadu City Mayor Can Proceed Under Criminal Procedure

The Criminal Court has determined that the case against Thinaadu City Mayor Saudu Ali can proceed under criminal procedure, after the mayor denied charges leveled against him. The charges relate to allegations of submitting false information to government institutions concerning the population of the island in order to obtain city status for Gaddu Thinaadu. During a hearing on Tuesday, presiding judge Ahmed Shafiu issued an order to preserve evidence submitted by the state, as requested by the prosecution. The state sought preservation of three key pieces of evidence: the final report determining electoral constituencies shared by the Elections Commission, the additional registry shared with that report, the duplicate list of ID card numbers found during the investigation (prepared on 14 August 2023), and a CD containing the Thinaadu population list. The state argued that these documents contain personal information of individuals and risk being leaked if released publicly. The defense, represented by a lawyer appointed on Tuesday, did not object to the preservation request. Judge Shafiu therefore issued an order to preserve the evidence to a certain extent as requested by the state. The charges against Saudu include the crime of knowingly giving a false document and the crime of providing false information to an official institution. When the state presented the charges, the defense lawyer requested time to consult with the accused before responding. The judge ruled that responding to the charges was permitted under Article 107 of the Penal Procedure Act, and asked the accused to respond. The defense subsequently denied all charges. Following the denial, the state revealed evidence including participants in council meetings, employees of the President's Office and LGAs, and parties who investigated the case as witnesses. Documentary evidence included lists shared by the Thinaadu Council with LGA, council decisions, minutes of a meeting at the President's Office, and other materials. The judge determined that the charge can proceed under criminal procedure, and granted the defense time to submit evidence before 13:00 on 29 November 2026, with preliminary submissions due by 25 November 2026. The next hearing is scheduled for 13 December.