After considerable delay, the Maldives Correctional Services has on Monday admitted that it is overseeing access to medical care for former vice president Ahmed Adeeb.

While it is the statutory institution charged with overseeing such facilities for convicted inmates, the service has thwarted several attempts from the press to acquire a comment from them about Adeeb’s medical status.

The most recent of these attempts was instigated by a statement from Adeeb’s family on Sunday that the authorities had attempted to have Adeeb undergo an unnecessary and ‘questionable’ medical procedure.

Prior to this, the service told a local newspaper that the Maldives Police Service is charged with overseeing Adeeb’s access to medical care. However, the police have since denied this and said that they only look after his security.

However, an official from the Maldives Correctional Services told RaajjeMV on Monday that his institution has never denied having authority over Adeeb’s access to medical care.

The official said that the service had previously only said that Adeeb is directly under the supervision and custody of the police.

The statement alleged that officers of the service had asked for the family’s signature to authorize this ‘questionable’ procedure, which they had refused to provide. The family said in its statement that any work to provide Adeeb with medical care had seized after this.