Ex-elections chief summoned for corruption probe

According to the summons, wrongdoing was alleged in the hiring of members for the national complaints bureau during the 2013 presidential election.

Thowfeek, who has been living in Sri Lanka for the past three years, said it appeared to be for “a case born four years and five months” after his tenure at the Elections Commission.

“This question didn’t come when I remained EC president for three months and three weeks after the 2013 presidential election. It didn’t come when I lived in Malé for 13 months after that,” Fuwad tweeted.

The summons prompted speculation from opposition supporters that Thowfeek is being targeted because he could be the opposition coalition’s presidential candidate.

With all opposition leaders imprisoned or in exile, Thowfeek has been touted as a non-politician “unity candidate” for the joint opposition in September’s polls.

He was controversially dismissed as EC president by the Supreme Court in March 2014, two weeks before the last parliamentary elections.