Adeeb Travels Overseas After Presidential Pardon

MV+ News Desk | November 18, 2023
Photo: Adeeb

Former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb embarked overseas last Friday, following the presidential pardon granted by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during his final week in office.

The specific destination of Adeeb’s travels remains undisclosed, and it is uncertain whether he intends to return to the Maldives.

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Former MMPRC Managing Director Abdulla Ziyath, who, like Adeeb, faced multiple corruption charges related to the MMPRC graft scandal, also received a presidential pardon last week.

This decision has raised concerns among various rights watchdogs, including Transparency Maldives and the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM). 

Transparency Maldives accused Solih of an abuse of power, prompting an appeal from the HRCM to revisit the Clemency Act.

The Adhaalath Party (AP), a former coalition partner in Solih’s government, has also voiced condemnation of the pardons.

Ahmed Adeeb, once a close associate of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in October 2020. Under a plea deal with the state, he admitted guilt to seven charges, resulting in a reduction from the initial 30 charges. 

Adeeb and Ziyath, both having signed plea deals, later served as state witnesses in Yameen’s trial.

Despite the prison sentence, Adeeb had been under home confinement since 2020, citing medical grounds.

In a parallel development, Yameen received an 11-year prison sentence in December 2022 for money laundering and bribery charges related to the MMPRC graft case. 

Following President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s victory in the September presidential election, Yameen was transferred from prison to home confinement. His appeal is currently pending with the High Court.

The MMPRC graft scandal, involving the embezzlement of millions of US dollars in the sale of islands and lagoons leased for tourism, gained international attention and was the subject of an Al Jazeera documentary.

President Solih had based his 2018 presidential campaign on the commitment to investigate the case and recover the embezzled funds.

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