The Criminal Court has sentenced a man to six months in jail yesterday on charges of “disobedience to order” in relation to a letter he sent to the Chief Justice in which he had used foul language to address the Chief Justice.
The sentence was passed onto Mohamed Musthafa of M. Nookokaa by Magistrate Mohamed Moosa.
Musthafa had represented himself at the trial and said that he had sent a nine-page letter to the Chief Justice Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim on 8 August 2007. He said that he had sent the letter to show his displeasure towards the High Court’s ruling in a case. He also said that he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and that there was no legal basis for the charges.
“The only charge that can be pressed against me in this case is for libel,” Musthafa said in Court. “No other charges can be made against me.”
The sentence was passed by the Magistrate based on Musthafa’s own admission and testimony. The Court said that Musthafa had been charged because he had said some things in the letter that a Muslim should not say to another Muslim.
In the letter Musthafa had referred to the Chief Justice in very derogatory terms, including inferences about his religious beliefs and mental state.
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