The Criminal Court has sentenced former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Ghafoor to three months and 18 days in prison over obstruction of justice for attempting to flee from his conviction earlier in August.

While Adeeb pled guilty for obstructing justice after attempting to flee while his passport was withheld earlier this week, his punishment would have been four months and 24 days if he had not done so.

Prosecutors had stated that he had committed a first-degree felony having attempted to flee from neighboring India while on medical leave.

At the trial, Adeeb stated that he was compelled to flee because of the threats he was receiving, going on to vow never to repeat his actions after pleading guilty.

On 29 August, Adeeb was transferred to house arrest after authorities fitted an electronic tag to his leg after doctor’s recommendations.

While the ex-VP was granted medical leave in June, it was approved after he signed an agreement with the Prosecutor General’s office guaranteeing his cooperation with authorities in the investigation regarding Maldives Marketing and Public Relation Corporation (MMPRC) embezzlement scandal.

However, Adeeb had attempted to flee while his passport was withheld at the beginning of August and Maldives security officials had returned him to Maldives two days later.

In May 2019, High Court had overturned an eight-year conviction against him after he was found guilty of embezzling state coffers as the acquisition cost of an island in Lhaviyani atoll, to his personal account After this, state appealed the High Court decision at Supreme Court in June.