The opposition coalition has called for incarcerated former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom be transferred to house arrest immediately and to speed up his appeal trial.

The opposition coalition, comprising of former ruling party Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC), released a statement on Friday, expressing concern over the former president’s appeal trial being halted at the High Court, at a time fears of the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic sweeping widely across the globe, has taken over the Maldives as well.

As such, the opposition revealed their belief that the High Court can proceed with pending cases through video conferencing, just like other courts are proceeding with their cases alongside the sittings of the People’s Majlis as well.

The opposition has called on the authorities to speed up the ex-president’s trial and transfer him to house arrest, immediately.

Further, the Progressive Coalition has urged authorities to brush aside “enmity and the nature of revenge” during these trying times.

Yameen was convicted on money-laundering charges on 28th November 2019, after being found guilty of laundering USD through the state-owned MMPRC via a private company Scores of Flair (SoF), during his presidency.