The Maldives Nine (part two)
Nine people are on trial over an alleged plot to topple the government. Their arrests followed a shock Supreme Court ruling that ordered the release of President Abdulla Yameen’s opponents and the reinstatement of opposition lawmakers who had been stripped of their seats.
08 May 2018, 9:00 AM
Fathimath Isha
Nine people are on trial in the Maldives over an alleged plot to topple the government.
Their arrests, which have been condemned as politically motivated, followed a shock Supreme Court ruling that ordered the release of President Abdulla Yameen’s opponents and the reinstatement of opposition lawmakers who had been stripped of their seats.
Who are these nine and what are they alleged to have done?
Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is charged with offering bribes to overthrow the government under the anti-terrorism law. He has pleaded for house arrest and denied the “fabricated” terror charge. The former strongman, who ruled the country for decades, is also charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly refusing to hand over his mobile phone for a police investigation and is accused of hiding evidence. He also denied this charge and lawyers boycotted the trial over “grave procedural defects.” But he was found guilty on this charge and sentenced to 19 months in prison on June 13 after the trial concluded without hearing defence witnesses. Gayoom was the first to be arrested after his half-brother, the president, declared a state of emergency on February 5. The 82-year old’s family and lawyers have requested for him to be moved to house arrest as his ailing health requires round-the-clock care.
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