The Maldives High Court has accepted the request for dismissal concerning former President, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s detention.

The Prosecutor General’s office had initially asked the Criminal Court to issue an arrest for the President Yameen regarding an investigation into corruption at Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC). The Criminal Court had then ordered the detention of President Yameen until court trial against the former President on charges of money laundering at MMPRC is concluded. He had been taken into Police custody and transferred to Maafushi prison on 18 February 2019 straight from the court.

The sentence detaining former President Abdul Yameen Abdul Gayoom had since then been appealed at the High Court for dismissal by his legal team.

President Yameen’s attorney, Abdulla Shiyaz, has informed One Online that the High Court has accepted the appeal for dismissal today.

Shiyaz said that the sentence of President Yameen’s detention is unlawful and that there was no legal cause for it.

State attorneys had argued at the Criminal Court hearing to determine the detention of President Yameen, that the former President had attempted to bribe witnesses in the case of money laundering from MMPRC.

Yesterday however, President Yameen had been transferred from prison to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH). While Police had initially informed that President Yameen had been brought to the hospital for a routine medical check up, it was later revealed that President Yameen was being treated in the cardiology department.

Upon receiving the news that he had been taken to IGMH, several supporters of President Yameen had gathered near the Hospital. While Maldives Police Service had unleashed pepper spray on the crowd of supporters, they had since released a statement reiterating a justification for the act. MPS had said that they only resorted to pepper spray after President Yameen’s supporters became unruly at the hospital and attempted to enter the cardiology department.

Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) had informed that former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, is to be kept in observation for 24 hours under doctor’s advisement.