The trial of the former President, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom in the charge of money laundering, is set to resume at 1:30 p.m. today at the Criminal Court.

While a hearing has been scheduled, the court has also assembled a bench of five judges to preside over the case to address the concerns from the defense attorneys.

A resolution by the Acting Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Ali Rasheed, on Tuesday said that the decision was made as per the request made by the defense. He said that during the preliminary phase, the defense requested a bench of judges for the case.

The trial had a verdict hearing on the agenda before the hearing was cancelled at the las minute. The cancellation came after the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) suspended the Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Ahmed Hailam, who was also presiding over the televised court case, regarding a disciplinary investigation.

JSC is investigating Judge Hailam regarding a photo he shared on a Viber Group on Republic Day 2019.