Pakistani Chef Mohamed Abid, who is accused of killing one of his colleagues, says his lawyer has recused from the case but that he has paid the lawyer twice since then.
Abid was arrested and charged with murder after he was accused of killing a Bangladeshi waiter named MD Shameem at the Kanji restaurant in Hulhumale last April.
Both Abid and his victim worked at the restaurant and Abid appears to have killed the waiter in a fit of rage.
The Criminal Court held a hearing on the case today, two months after the last hearing on the case.
In the last hearing, witness statements were scheduled but since Abid's lawyer recused, the proceedings were not held.
Presiding Judge Ismail Shafeeu said that since the defendant was on trial for murder, it would not be wise to continue without a defense lawyer. The defendant was then given the chance to hire a lawyer to defend his case.
When the judge asked about hiring a lawyer, referring to his father, Abid said that he had tried to hire his former lawyer Ibrahim Ali and had paid him twice.
But he said that the lawyer had been unreachable and that it was difficult to hire another as he was allowed to meet his family once every 15 day.
The Judge then ordered the State to make arrangements that would allow Abid to appoint his own defense in a smooth manner. He added that the next hearing would only be scheduled once the defendant appoints his lawyer.
