Resident Magistrate Joji Boseiwaqa has made a tentative ruling on the request of former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum to consolidate the charges against him and former Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem. Magistrate Boseiwaqa stated that he was unable to hear arguments from both the Defense and the State due to the case currently being under the jurisdiction of Magistrate Yogesh Prasad.
Both defendants were present in court, but Sayed-Khaiyum has been excused from attending the next session scheduled for Tuesday. He faces a charge of abuse of office.
The allegations against Sayed-Khaiyum stem from a report filed by Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa. It is claimed that between June 30 and July 12, 2022, while acting as Prime Minister, Sayed-Khaiyum signed a Deed of Variation and Addendum involving the Government and Saneem without the necessary approval from the Constitutional Offices Commission and the President regarding the payment of Saneem’s taxes.
Saneem is facing a charge of receiving a corrupt benefit. It is alleged that between June 1 and July 31, 2022, while serving as Supervisor of Elections, he improperly requested and received a substantial benefit, specifically the approval and payment of tax relief exceeding $50,000 on his back pay from a senior government official.