Malé, Maldives – Governments reason for former Vice President of Maldives, Ahmed Adeeb, who was sentenced to 20 years in jail on October, 2020 for being involved in one of largest corruption case recorded in Maldives history has been in house arrest has changed again.
While the Home Minister of Maldives, Imran Abdulla had mentioned earlier on October that Adeeb’s health condition deteriorated and he was transferred to home arrest as the Bipap machine Adeeb needs to help him sleep cannot be used in jail, the Maldives Correctional Service has stated that Adheeb is not kept in house arrest because he needs a Bipap machine.
Responding to a form presented by Aiman Latheef, the Maldives Correctional Service stated Adeeb’s house transfer was made under Article 82 (a) subsection 1 of the Parole Act which stipulates that inmates can be changed to another location other than a prison if they have a disease which would not allow them to carry out their sentence in jail.
Adheeb is not at house arrest because he needs to use the Bipap machine but he is Article 82 (a) subsection 1 of the Parole Act.
Ismail Sauoodh, the Information Officer and Assistant Legal Officer of Corrections stated.
Subsection 2 of Article 82 (a) under the Prisons and Parole Act also states that if a medical officer notices a health condition as mentioned in the act, then until the issue is solved, the prisoner can stay in another place apart from the jail with the approval from the Commissioner of Prison.
Minister Imran had also stated that Adeeb has been kept in house arrest under this method, however, Minister Imran stated that the reason for his transfer is because Adeeb needs a Bipap machine to help him sleep.
hmed Adeeb (Bro) made a plea agreement with the government on the seven charges filed against him for a jail sentence of 20 years over the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) scandal which cost the government more then MVR 4 Billion.
Former Vice President Adeeb who was well known as “Bro” was the most influential minister during the previous administration who rose within the political ranks to be Vice President of the Maldives after an orchestrated no confidence vote of the then Vice President Mohamed Jameel Ahmed who is now again back in the opposition PPM as an advisor. Adeeb was accused of using state funds which he and his close allies embezzled which he used to bribe politicians, judges and others in high positions in different institutions when he was in the government and he was also well known for funding local gangs.
He was first arrested during the previous administration under the charges of money laundering and trying to kill then-President Abdulla Yameen in 2015 and spent three years in jail before he was transferred to house arrest while at which he tried to flee to India on a tugboat as a stowaway in April 2019 and got arrested by the Indian authorities.
While the higher authorities continue to restrict the public from knowing the actual reason for the house arrest of a person who was found guilty for one of the biggest corruption case in Maldives, the citizens are curious to know about the truth as to why Adeeb who accounted for up to MVR 3.3 Billion has been transferred to house arrest rather than serving his sentence properly in jail.
