State negligence of Adeeb's medical condition is a move to silence a key witness, says ex-President Nasheed

The state’s refusal to allow former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb to receive medical attention abroad is an attempt to silence a key witness, said opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed.

Nasheed, a former president himself, said in a tweet that it ‘was difficult’ to see the matter in any other way.

Adeeb was sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison for a reported assassination attempt against President Abdulla Yameen and for his role in the heavily publicized case of graft involving the state-operated Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation.

Further, on 22nd June, he had reportedly filed a letter with the Supreme Court stating that he can reveal key details about the weapons charge for which former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim is serving an 11-year jail sentence.

Adeeb’s family had released a statement earlier this month claiming that Adheeb has developed an internal cyst, kidney stones, and vision impairment from glaucoma since his incarceration in 2015. The government has said that Adeeb is being barred from travelling abroad to due threat of flight.

Attorney General Mohamed Anil’s comments saying this have been heavily criticized, with UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed saying that it was an inadequate excuse as flight threats can easily be minimized through security measures.