Lawyer Ahmed Shan has been appointed as a deputy minister at the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure.
The appointment was made amid an ongoing trial at the Criminal Court on criminal charges raised against Shan, who is accused of sexually assaulting a minor. The Prosecutor General’s (PG) office has confirmed this to Adhadhu.
"The charges still remain. We have not withdrawn the case. Witness testimony was recently concluded and the trial is now at the closing arguments stage," a PG office official told Adhadhu.
The alleged incident occurred in October 2017. Charges against Shan were filed at the Criminal Court in November 2017.
The Criminal Court first dismissed the charges on the grounds that they did not fit the civil standard based on a balance of probabilities and decided not to proceed to trial. But the High Court overruled the lower court's decision upon appeal and ordered a trial.
The appointment of a defendant in a child sexual abuse case follows the dismissal of an appointee who was accused of sexual harassment in the face of criticism of the government.
Mohamed Fahmy Hassan, who had been removed as President of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) over alleged sexual harassment, was dismissed four days after he was appointed as a State Minister for Foreign Affairs. The government did not provide any reasons for the decision.
