Court orders Adeeb be jailed pending outcome of Maabinhura appeal

Supreme Court has issued an order to detain former Maldivian Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor at a remand facility pending the outcome of appeal proceedings over his acquittal in an embezzlement case.

The State filed an appeal with the Supreme Court following the High Court’s decision to overturn an eight-year prison sentence issued against Adeeb by Criminal Court in 2016 for embezzling a USD 5 million bank cheque issued by Kuredu Holdings to Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) as acquisition cost to develop a resort in Lh. Maabinhura.

The Criminal Court, though the High Court issued the acquittal with instructions for a retrial, pushed the case out of court citing lack of ground to hold a new trial.

Appeal proceedings in the case began on Tuesday, August 6.

The State, during the first appeal hearing, filed a motion with the court for an order to keep Adeeb jailed pending the outcome of appeal proceedings.

The motion came after Adeeb was recently intercepted by Indian authorities at the Tuticorin Port in violation of an earlier travel ban imposed the Supreme Court pending the outcome of the appeal proceedings.

The Supreme Court announced its decision regarding the motion this Thursday.

The court referred to Adeeb’s recent escape attempt, and established there was enough grounds to presume he may make another escape attempt.

The court’s order annuls the 15-day remand ordered on Adeeb by the Criminal Court on Monday, August 5, and instructs Maldives Correctional Service to enforce this Thursday’s detention order.