Supreme Court upholds jailed ex-VP's transfer to house arrest

Supreme Court has on Thursday upheld the lower court’s decision to transfer jailed former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb to house arrest.

Adeeb’s legal team had filed a case at the Civil Court in 2018, seeking medical abroad. The court denied the request, stating that the procedures to be followed- in providing medial abroad to inmates- had not been completed.

His team then appealed the lower court’s decision at the High Court, which in January ruled to transfer him to house arrest until his appeal case seeking medical attention abroad concludes.

While the state had immediately appealed High Court’s decision, Supreme Court overruled the order the next day, granting a stay order to halt the enforcement of the transfer order until it reached a decision on the issue.

A hearing in the case was held on Thursday morning, with Supreme Court upholding High Court order to transfer him to house arrest over medical issues.

While the top court made the order, he is already under house arrest. The Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) had in March transferred him, following doctor’s recommendation. While he was transferred with conditions, these have not been disclosed. The transfer came after he was admitted to the hospital for over two weeks.

Adeeb, convicted to 33 years on multiple counts of corruption and terrorism, has been hospitalized a number of times since incarceration. His family says that he has been diagnosed with glaucoma, kidney stones and internal cysts. He recently underwent an operation to remove the stones.

Earlier this week, the state asked the Supreme Court to overturn Adeeb’s 10-year terror conviction, on terror charges.