Maldives ex-vice president arrested in India
Former vice president Ahmed Adeeb has been arrested from the Indian port of Tuticorin while trying to enter the country illegally as a crew member of a tug boat.
Citing Indian police and customs, Indian media outlets
reported the arrest on Thursday afternoon but the Maldivian authorities have yet to confirm.
The Tuticorin port authorities have confirmed the arrest to
Reuters, according to which the Indian coast guard detained Adeeb on Thursday after he arrived on the
Virgo 9 tug boat. Adeeb
reportedly attempted to pass off as a crew member.
An eyewitness has shared a video of the apparent arrest with the
Maldives Independent.
Adeeb was
freed from house arrest two weeks ago after serving a 15-day contempt of court sentence. The sentence was completed after he
returnedto the country from medical leave in India in early July.
After three years in prison, he was transferred to house arrest last November in the wake of former president Abdulla Yameen’s defeat in the presidential election. The appeal courts later
wiped out his 33-year jail sentence on terrorism and corruption charges, citing political influence over his trials.
But the Supreme Court imposed a travel ban on Adeeb in late June. His passport was withheld after the Prosecutor General’s office filed appeals challenging the High Court rulings that set aside his convictions.
Details to follow
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https://maldivesindependent.com/crime-2/maldives-ex-vice-president-arrested-in-india-147149
