Parents of detained lawmaker Ahmed Faris Maumoon, former first couple Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Nasreena Ibrahim visited him in Maafushi prison on Saturday.
In a tweet sent out afterwards, former President Maumoon emphasized that Faris has been detained in prison for four months "without a sentence," adding that this is "an attempt to stop [Faris'] reform work".
My wife and I visited our son MP @afarismaumoon in jail today. 4 months in prison without a sentence. An attempt to stop his reform work!
— Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (@maumoonagayoom) November 18, 2017
Back in July, Criminal Court had ordered to keep the Dhiggaru constituency MP in remand until his trial on bribery charges conclude. He is also charged with identity theft.
Prior to his arrest, MP Faris was seen in the frontline of the joint opposition, even spearheading the controversial no-confidence motion against speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed.
On Thursday, the MP's legal team filed a case at the Supreme Court, seeking to protect the rights of his constituents, as authorities continue to refuse to present him to parliament sittings and committee meetings.
Faris' team noted that this "deprives Dhiggaru constituents of their right to representation in Majlis".
