Criminal Court is to hear the defense witnesses in the case of RaajjeTV’s Chief Operating Officer, Hussain Fiyaz Moosa, on Thursday.

Fiyaz has been charged with “touching an officer without consent,” over an arrest made in November 2015, while covering a bomb scare in the capital Male’ City. While it is classified as a third-degree crime, the basic penalty for it is, one month and seven days in prison.

State had filed the charges on Fiyaz, alleging that he had attacked a police officer while officers were attempting to disperse the crowd near Mulee-aage, with officers working to defuse a bomb which was discovered in the area.

Fiyaz denies the charge against him.

He was initially charged with assaulting a police officer, but was later revised after the Court noted inconsistencies in the charges raised against him.

The last hearing in the case was held on January 29, after a seven-month hiatus. Court took the statements of the state witnesses at the hearing.

While Fiyaz had submitted the names of seven individuals to testify as his defense, Criminal Court has accepted the names of only three of the witnesses.

RaajjeTV journalists, Mohamed Wisam and Leevaan Ali Nasir were arrested with Fiyaz, and were charged with obstruction of law enforcement officers.

While they were found guilty of the crime in December 2016 despite various inconsistencies in the trial, they were sentenced to pay a fine of MVR 28,800, per person, on January 24.

In addition to the three, RaajjeTV cameraman Adam Zareer has been charged with obstruction over an arrest made while covering an opposition rally, and his sentencing hearing has been scheduled for February 27. Wisam was also arrested with Zareer at the rally, and his sentencing is scheduled for March 9.