Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s office has denied police’s allegations against both himself and son-in-law Mohamed Nadheem, having accused authorities of holding them hostage.
Maumoon’s office released a statement on Monday, marking a month since his incarceration and noting that the state of emergency was declared unconstitutionally.
“The basis for it was unlawful, no procedures were followed and the parliament extended it unlawfully as well. Hence, we believe that the state of emergency is void” it reads.
While both Maumoon and Nadheem are arrested under allegations of attempting to overthrow the government, they claim they are being held “hostage”, emphasizing that they are yet to be questioned since their arrest on 5th February.
Noting that the police had on multiple occasions said that they have enough evidence to prosecute the two, the statement noted that the case forwarded for prosecution seeks to charge them with “destroying evidence”.
It said that the purpose of this is to defame them, and make the people lose their trust and respect in them.
In addition, the office also criticized the charges raised against Maumoon’s son and Dhiggaru constituency MP, Ahmed Faris Maumoon, calling them “politically motivated”.
The former president’s office also called on all relevant authorities, to release all those arrested under the unlawful state of emergency, and implement the ruling issued by the Supreme Court’s five justices on 1st February. It further called on institutions to refrain from following unlawful orders.
