Fahala Saeed Appeal Begins

Minivan Daily Journalist, Abdulla (Fahala) Saeed’s appeal against drug offences began at the High Court on Sunday.

Fahala, known for articles critical of the government and their use of violence, was sentenced to life imprisonment in April 2006 for possession with intent to supply heroin.

He claims drugs were planted in his trouser pockets during a police search, after officers had earlier emptied his pockets in his presence and found nothing.
At Sunday’s appeal, Fahala’s lawyer Husnu-al-Suood argued the charges were false and a “deliberate attempt to hurt him.”

Suood asked the judge to consider why the drugs were not found during the first search, but inside Fahala’s trouser pockets, only after he had stripped naked, and his trousers had been taken away by police and brought back.

“It took the police five minutes to find four packets of drugs in Fahala’s pocket. This gives them ample time to plant the drugs in his pocket,” he says.

Suood condemned the Criminal Court’s reliance on witness statements by two officers which contradicted each other. One statement says the officers stood behind Fahala while the strip search was taking place, the other says they were standing one foot in front of Fahala.
"The chances of winning are very small. I am not very hopeful as the High Court is more conservative than the lower courts,” Suood said on prospects for the appeal.

"We want to give it a maximum fight. The only weakness in the case is that Fahala was sentenced in the 1990's for drug abuse and the current charges are based on that,” he added.

A date for the next hearing will be set once the Judge, Adam Mohamed, has considered the case.