MP Mahloof heads back to India for medical treatment
Mahloof was granted a seven-day medical leave
Jailed lawmaker, Ahmed Mahloof departed to India on Tuesday
Jailed parliamentarian, Ahmed Mahloof has left for Bangalore, India for medical treatment on Tuesday.
The South-Galolhu constituency MP departed from Velana International Airport (VIA) at around 12:45 pm on Tuesday.
According to his wife Nazra Naseem, Maldives Correctional Services (MCS) had granted him a seven-day medical leave to travel to India.
However, RaajjeMV has been unable to obtain an official comment from MCS.
While the MP is to return after the allotted time period, Mahloof has the option to ask for an extension.
According to his family, Mahloof has been having dermatological issues, and his condition has been worsening.
Noting that he "is not being given the adequate care in Maldives," Mahloof's family had revealed that doctors had advised for him to go abroad for treatment.
Back in December 2016, Mahloof was given a 10-day medical leave to travel to India. While he returned within the given time-frame, MCS officers had made him wait him at the airport lounge for hours, before taking him back to Maafushi Jail.
Earlier in February, the MP issued a statement, expressing concern over government policies and prison regulations.
In the statement, Mahloof highlighted that many ill inmates, some with severe mental degradation, are kept from receiving their prescribed medication for months. He also said the food served to inmates is not something most Maldivians would ‘willingly consume’.
In 2016, Mahloof was sentenced to 10 months and 24 days in prison, on two separate charges of obstruction.
While Mahloof is an independent MP, he had been working with the opposition prior to his sentencing, and is also the spokesperson of the opposition alliance, Maldives United Opposition (MUO). The largest opposition party in the country, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has filed Mahloof's case in Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU).
