High Court Accepts Unverified Audio Files in Yameen's AR Case Appeal

The High Court has accepted for consideration audio files submitted by the state in the trial regarding alleged fraud in the leasing of W. AR, which are claimed to be the voice of former President Abdulla Yameen. The defense has requested that the evidence not be accepted, arguing that the state has not prepared an analysis report to verify the authenticity of these audio files. In the appeal filed yesterday against the Criminal Court's decision to accept the audio evidence, Yameen's legal team argues that the audio files are alleged to be from before Yameen became president in 2013. Hamza Latif, a member of Yameen's legal team, told 'Dhura' that the state had previously stated in the trial that an audio analysis report would be prepared to verify that the voice belongs to Yameen, but no such report has been prepared. "Accepting an unverified audio file as evidence and weighing such 'low quality' evidence affects the fairness of the trial and also the rights of the accused person," Hamza said. He added that the appeal requests not only to reject this evidence but also to establish procedures in this matter. The AR case is being heard for the second time in the Criminal Court. On December 25, 2022, Yameen was found guilty and sentenced to 11 years in prison, which prevented him from contesting the 2023 presidential election. The second hearing began after the High Court ordered a retrial on April 18, 2024, and the Supreme Court upheld that directive, stating that new evidence submitted by the state was flawed and biased. Separately, in the case alleging fraud in the sale of rental property in Fuvahmulah, the trials for bribery and money laundering charges against Yameen have reached the verdict stage, although a verdict initially scheduled for today has been postponed.