Yameen's legal team accuses authorities of depriving his constitutional right

Maldives Correctional Services (MCS) has been accused of depriving incarcerated former President Abdulla Yameen of his right to legal counsel.

The former president’s legal team issued a statement on Tuesday, stressing that MCS has been obstructing meetings with their client.

Noting that the multiple restrictions imposed following the Covid-19 pandemic have been eased and that court’s have even begun hearings at the courtroom, the statement highlighted that this includes hearings in the former president’s case.

However, it expressed concern over MCS’ obstruction of his constitutional right to lawyers.

The statement further highlighted that a hearing held on July 8 concluded with the instructions to ensure that the former president is able to meet with his legal team.

Despite this, the team said that they have been informed that a direct meeting with Yameen will not be allowed. They stressed that the request was denied, even after presenting a letter that noted that the meeting request was as per the High Court’s instructions.

The statement further called on the Maldives Correctional Services from refraining from such acts, that violates the rights of their client.

Yameen was convicted on money-laundering charges on November 28th last year, for laundering USD one million through the state-owned Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) via a private company SoF, during his presidency. He was sentenced to five years in prison.

While the former president’s team appealed his conviction and subsequent sentencing on November 30, it is currently at the final stage.

Yameen was also fined USD five million to be paid within in six months. While he has failed to pay the fine, work is underway to seek the sum through the Criminal Court.