Ex-VP Adeeb takes the government's decision as a death penalty: Lawyer
The government, on Tuesday, announced that it did not plan to grant medical leave for the jailed former VP
Lawyer Mahfooz Saeed
Jailed former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb's lawyer Mahfooz Saeed has said that the former VP takes the government's decision to not send him abroad for medical treatment 'as a death penalty'.
Saeed made the comment in an interview to RaajjeTV's '60 minutes' programme on Tuesday night.
Earlier on Tuesday, Attorney General Mohamed Anil said that the government did not plan on sending the former VP abroad for medical treatment, as he poses 'a serious flight risk'.
Noting that he has shared details regarding Tuesday's press conference- where the AG announced the decision- with his client, Saeed said that Adeeb took the government's decision to not allow him to seek medical attention abroad 'as a death penalty, minus the actual sentencing'.
He further noted that the former VP had said that AG Anil "knows the kind of person he is," and that he will not flee.
"Adeeb said that Anil will know what kind of a person he is. That [Anil knows that] he will not flee. He said that Anil will know that he can give really strong responses to what he said in the press conference," added Saeed.
While it has been days since the family sought authorities' approval to take Adeeb abroad for treatment, there was confusion on who would grant the approval, until Tuesday. The family had sent letters to both the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and Maldives Correctional Service (MCS).
Adeeb's family claims that he has developed an internal cyst- which could turn cancerous- kidney stones and vision impairment from glaucoma since his incarceration in 2015.
The local, as well as the international, communities have expressed concern over the government's delay in providing treatment for the former VP, with Amnesty International calling on authorities to immediately grant him permission to travel abroad to seek medical care.
At the press conference on Tuesday, AG Anil had said that the government did not intend to bar the former VP from getting medical attention, adding that doctors will be allowed to visit him in prison.
The former VP's lawyer Moosa Siraj had said that doctors have advised that Adeeb be taken abroad for further tests, which cannot be conducted in the Maldives.
