Maldives Correctional Service has announced that jailed former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom will be transferred to Maafushi Prison, "sometime on Saturday".

Media official at the correctional service confirmed the former’s transfer on Saturday, however, did not disclose an exact time of the transfer.

Some sources report that work is currently underway to make the transfer.

Yameen was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday, after being found guilty of laundering USD through the state-owned Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) via a private company SoF, during his presidency.

Opposition supporters rallied outside the Malé Prison late Friday night, calling to free their leader. As such, supporters of the opposition coalition, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC) called for Yameen’s immediate release.

While the former president is currently being kept at Malé Prison under special protection, the opposition has also expressed concern over the prison's conditions.

A Special Protection Unit was built in Maafushi Prison, during the Yameen's administration after the sentencing of former President Mohamed Nasheed in 2015.