Nazim Sattar sentenced to home confinement instead of prison

Prominent lawyer and the younger brother of Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, Ahmed Nazim Abdul Sattar, who was found guilty of engaging in homosexuality has been sentenced to three months and 26 days in home confinement in place of a jail sentence by the Criminal Court. 

Nazim was charged with engaging in homosexuality after a leaked video showed him engaging in sexual acts with Bangladeshi national, Alamgir. He pled guilty to the crime, following which the case against him was fast tracked.

As per the Penal Code, Nazim’s crime subjected him to a jail sentence of nine months and 18 days. That is due to the fact the he was married whilst he engaged in homosexuality.

Despite this, he was sentenced to one months and 28 days in prison. The admission of guilt alongside the promise to never repeat such an offense decreased the severity of his punishment. Moreover, he had requested home confinement instead of a jail sentence. Therewith, he was sentenced to three months and 26 days in home confinement, in place of a jail sentence.

Nazim’s sentencing was scheduled for 4:00pm this evening. In late afternoon, the lawyer released a statement of public apology, expressing regret and repentance for his crime.

A string of videos showing men engage in homosexual relations has been leaked on social media since late June.

The subject of many of the videos, Alamgiri, who admitted to engaging in sexual acts with multiple men, including several high-profile Maldivians, was found guilty and sentenced to seven months in prison in August.

The videos leaked online show Alamgir engaging in sexual relations with Nazim Sattar, former Nolhivaram MP Mohamed Nasheed (Colonel Nasheed), Sergeant Abdul Rahman Rafeeu, a senior police officer from the Drug Enforcement Department (DED), teachers and muezzins. Both Nasheed and Rahman have been charged.