Appeal hearing over Shahid’s arrest in child sexual abuse case cancelled

The appeal hearing scheduled at the High Court for Sunday in the petition filed by former Maldivian foreign minister Abdulla Shahid contesting the warrant issued for his arrest on allegations of sexually abusing a young girl has been cancelled.

Shahid, 64, was arrested from his apartment in Hulhumale’ at 09:59 pm on November 2. According to police, he is being investigated on allegations of sexually assaulting someone under the age of 18.

The former president of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Shahid had his remand extended by 30 days on November 3, and is being held at the custodial jail in Dhoonidhoo Island.

He filed a petition with the High Court on November 4, contesting his arrest warrant. The court registered the appeal on November 8, and had scheduled the first hearing in the case for Sunday afternoon. Sun was able to confirm the hearing was cancelled. However, the reason for the decision is unclear at this point.

The High Court was not immediately available for comment regarding the decision.

Hearings on cases involving sexual abuse of children are held behind closed doors.

Rumors of the allegations of sexual abuse against Shahid and his impending arrest broke out on social media platforms shortly ahead of his arrest.

In a post on X mere minutes ahead of his arrest, Shahid rejected the allegations as politically-motivated baseless lies aimed at assassinating his character.

“The politically-motivated rumors being spread to assassinate my character are baseless lies. I urge everyone against spreading such unfounded allegations,” he wrote, half-an-hour ahead of his arrest.

Shahid is among the country’s most prominent politicians, serving as a diplomat, government official and legislator for over four decades. His arrest comes as he campaigns for the MDP ticket to contest the 2028 presidential elections and enter the highest executive office in the country.

The Maldives has seen a rise in reported cases of sexual violence in recent years. The police investigated 272 cases of sexual assault last year, and have received reports of 243 such cases so far this year.

Those with information regarding crimes against children are urged to call the Maldives Police Service’s Family and Child Protection Department at 3000600 or the helpline 1412.