Imran says reports of him making deals with jailed ex-pres. "laughable"

Home Minister Imran Abdulla has denied making any deals with jailed former President Abdulla Yameen.

Imran said that such reports are laughable, adding that his refusal to make any deals when Yameen was in power shows that he has no such intentions.

Imran was jailed for 12 years during Yameen’s term, after being convicted on terror charges. While he was convicted in 2016, he was freed in 2018 after the Supreme Court issued a stay order on his 12-year jail sentence; this was after Yameen's loss at the 2018 presidential election.

Referring to this, Imran said that the entire country “knows that I was offered deals then and had not accepted.”

The home minister added that he does not see a reason to make any deals with a prisoner who has no power, and said that the fact that this is even being discussed is a “shock” to him.

Furthermore, Imran said that the incumbent administration will not partake in any form of torture, adding that he personally intends to ensure this.

While reports of the deal surfaced after the home minister met with the jailed former president in prison last week, Imran said he took the meeting "as the home minister". He added that he had visited the prison to monitor the conditions there, and to ensure that all inmates are being granted basic rights; something he noted was not the cause during the previous tenure.

Noting that these were discussed during his meeting with Yameen in prison, Imran added that he had assured the former president that he will be provided medical attention as recommended by his doctors; this meeting took place a day after Yameen was discharged from hospital after undergoing heart related medical tests.

The former president is to have spoken regarding his administration’s second vice president, Ahmed Adeeb, and his various criminal activities.