The trials of suspects in the bomb attack to assassinate Speaker Mohamed Nasheed are proceeding at a very slow speed, Abbas Faiz, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's special envoy for the investigation, said on Tuesday, calling it a serious problem.
Abbas said at a press conference held at the President's Office that he has shared concerns with the Chief Justice, Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and parliament's judiciary committee. Various institutions offered many reasons for the delay when he inquired, he said.
"The pace of trials is still slow. This is a very serious concern, for myself and the country," Abbas said, referring to a detailed schedule provided by the Criminal Court on the May 6 attack trials.
Abbas said he clarified the reasons for hearings scheduled far apart. The court explained that the cause of the delay was space constraints, said Abbas, who previously worked for more than 20 years at Amnesty International.
The Criminal Court was relocated after damages to the old courthouse. But due to the lack of space at the new premises, only 10 judges could work at the same time, Abbas noted.
But Abbas said he was told by people with knowledge of the matter that more space could be arranged if the court was managed better.
As a solution, Abbas suggested that the JSC could assess the court's use of resources and offer expert advice.
