The High Court has ordered authorities to move former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb to a remand jail until the case involving the former VP is concluded.
The Court said that former VP could evade authorities if he is to remain under house arrest and that the State had requested a remand order be issued for Adeeb.
Earlier this month, the Criminal Court had rejected 7 charges filed against Adeeb on behalf of the state for his role in the country’s worst scandal, the MMPRC scandal.
This prompted the state to appeal the court’s decision at the High Court and also pursue an order to halt his travel. The High Court then ordered the police to seize his passport and effectively banning his travel abroad.
In today’s appeal hearing, State Prosecutor Ahmed Naufal said that the state had requested that the court issue the order to shift the former VP to a remand jail because he had escaped from police custody before and that Adeeb could again attempt to flee.
Adeeb had escaped to India before via a tugboat and was later captured and returned to the Maldives by Indian authorities. He was charged for the escape and spent 3 months and 18 days in jail for the offense.
Speaking at today’s hearing, Adeeb said he had already been sentenced for the escape and the court should not be sentencing him again for the same offense.
He said that police are maintaining security while he is under house arrest and that believed that he cannot escape again. When the former VP fled the country, he was also under police custody.
Identified as a key suspect in the MMPRC scandal, the state has charged the former VP with two counts of embezzlement, unlawful influence to obtain an unfair advantage, and misuse of his official capacity as well as two counts of money laundering.
