Gayoom brought to Maldives capital for medical care

Jailed former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was brought to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for medical care on Thursday afternoon, local media reported.

Gayoom was found guilty of obstruction of justice in June and sentenced to 19 months in prison. He suffers from a condition called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) that causes dizziness and difficulty standing without assistance.

But authorities have rejected the family’s appeal to transfer him to house arrest for round-the-clock care.

Last month a specialist doctor was taken to the high-security Maafushi prison. The reason for the IGMH visit was unclear, according to Mihaaru.

But Gayoom aide Abdul Aleem told reporters in a group chat that the former president was taken to the MRI room.

The ex-strongman is also on trial over an alleged plot to oust his half-brother, President Abdulla Yameen, from office.

This charge carries a jail term of up to 20 years. His co-defendants include son MP Faris Maumoon, son-in-law Mohamed Nadheem and two former Supreme Court justices.

They deny all charges.

Aleem told reporters that Nadheem was also taken to IGMH Thursday. The visit comes after lawyers complained about delays in consulting a specialist following an MRI last month.

Photo: Mihaaru