In addressing recent media reports, Maldives Correctional Service and other authorities have confirmed that former president Yaameen Abdul Gayyoom, who is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for money laundering, will not be transferred to house arrest pending his request.
Spokesperson for the President's Office Mabrook Azeez stated that no decision had yet been made to transfer former president Yaameen to house arrest, with the Maldives Correctional Service also confirming that they had not received any such communication in recent days.
However, the opposition PPM-PNC coalition, which consists of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People's National Congress (PNC), continue to assert that the decision to transfer Yaameen to house arrest had already been made. Latest media reports claiming as such have since been debunked by statements from the President's Office and Maldives Correctional Service by Thursday.
Former president Yaameen Abdul Gayyoom is currently serving a five-year prison sentence after having been found guilty of money laundering in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) grand corruption scandal. Yaameen is being investigated for multiple suspected crimes in the case, with charges raised against him at court, and has already served one year in prison from his initial sentencing.