Dishonesty and double-dealing in government has become commonplace in the Maldives and its society now has no place for individuals that are honest and non-corrupt, says former attorney general Husnu Suood.

Suood said that while corruption has become the norm under incumbent President Abdulla Yameen and his administration, the people of Maldives ‘long’ for the contrary and for Yameen to be voted out of office.

In this regard, Suood said that the upcoming presidential elections are crucial for the development of democracy in the Maldives.

Suood further said that the Yameen administration has seemingly besieged independent institutions and that individuals without ‘connections in government or wealth’ are hard pressed for justice even in matter guaranteed by the constitution.

Suood, also one of the nation’s most prominent private-practicing lawyers, said this at an opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) event in capital city Malé on Monday.

The former attorney general went on to say that while President Yameen has professed to have spent hefty sums on infrastructural development projects, even going as far to accumulate unprecedented amounts of debt through borrowed funds, nearly all of them are tarnished with allegations corruption.

Maintaining that several people in government have benefited personally from such projects, Suood said the matter is further aggravated by government deals being cloaked in obscurity and the public not having a substantial understanding of such deals.