Maumoon planned a mid-term coup: Mundhu

Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu), Ambassador of the Maldives to Japan, claims that former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom planned a mid-term coup during this administration.

Speaking in state media’s ‘Raajje Miadhu’ program, Mundhu said that President Maumoon planned to oust incumbent President and half-brother Abdullah Yameen.

Mundhu, a Council member of the Yameen faction of ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives, said that President Yameen had accorded all respect and carried out every wish President Maumoon had. Mundhu said this was planned from a long time back and criticized President Maumoon for what his insincerity and disloyalty. He added that President Maumoon had wanted to install whom he pleased as leader, following the coup. Mundhu described the no confidence motion on Parliament Speaker as an attempt to gain power prior to the Presidential elections.

Mundhu had served in several high-profile positions during the Maumoon administration.

Mundhu further said that President Yameen had been even more successful than President Maumoon, having successfully carried out many projects, Maumoon had allegedly failed in.

Maumoon faction’s Deputy Leader Aminath Nadira had criticised Mundhu’s statements, stating that Maumoon was not part of the group arrested in Malaysia for planning a coup.

Mundhu is one of the Cabinet Ministers who was suspended from his Cabinet position back in 2015. He had tendered his resignation soon afterwards. The suspension was allegedly due to his close connections to the now jailed former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb.