Ex-President's family in 'deep shock' following guilty verdict
14 ޖޫން 2018 | ބުރާސްފަތި 05:00Former President Maumoon was sentenced to one year, seven months and six days in prison on Wednesday
Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (C) with family
Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's family is in "deep shock" after the Criminal Court found him guilty of obstruction of justice.
On Wednesday, the court found Maumoon, along with Supreme Court Justices Abdulla Saeed and Ali Hameed, guilty of obstruction and sentenced them to one year, seven months and six days in prison. He has been in detention since February 5.
While most of the family has remained silent on the matter, Maumoon's daughter and former foreign minister Dunya Maumoon took to twitter to share that the family is "in deep shock and extremely saddened" by the verdict.
"We once again call upon authorities to bring him home, given his ill health and age, on humanitarian grounds!" further reads the tweet.
In addition, Dunya's brother, Dhiggaru constituency MP Ahmed Faris Maumoon is currently in police custody as well, with multiples charges raised against him.
Dunya Maumoon was the first foreign minister of the current administration. Following a dispute between her father and his half-brother incumbent President Abdulla Yameen in 2016, Dunya resigned from her post. She blamed her resignation on difference of opinion with the government, only to return to the government a few months later, as a state minister at the health ministry.
While she has been very vocal in the call for her father's release, even meeting foreign officials, Maumoon while in detention decided to appoint Dunya's twin sister, Yumna, as his sole representative in the international community.
