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Disgraced Maldives' Ex-Prez Accuses India of Judicial 'Interference' After Corruption Conviction

© AFP 2023 AHMED SHURAUMaldives's former president Abdulla Yameen (C) arrives at a criminal court for his trial in Male on November 28, 2019.
Maldives's former president Abdulla Yameen (C) arrives at a criminal court for his trial in Male on November 28, 2019. - Sputnik India, 1920, 26.12.2022
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Ex-Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen could be barred from contesting the 2023 presidential election due to corruption charges against him.
The party of former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen has accused Indian diplomats in Male of judicial “interference” after the leader was found guilty on counts of corruption and money laundering.

According to the verdict handed over to Yameen’s legal team on Monday, he was granted an 11-year jail term. He is currently in jail on Maafushi island.

Yameen's former vice-president, Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, informed that the opposition leader will appeal against the charges as soon as possible.
His Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has alleged that the “delay” in presenting the court's decision to Yameen was “due to the verdict being produced from elsewhere”. The PPM also claimed that the Criminal Court of the Maldives “inexplicably removed the video footage” from its Youtube channel.
Another statement by the PPM on Sunday described the verdict as a “product of political persecution and vendetta through collusion with a foreign state” in order to stop Yameen from contesting the presidential election in 2023.

What is Yameen Accused of?

Yameen, who lost power to Maldivian Democratic Party (MPD) rival Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in 2018, has been accused of embezzling state funds to the tune of $1 million through the lease of development rights of an island resort.
He was convicted of the charges in 2019 and fined $5 million at the time, but was released from house arrest in 2020.
Since being declared as the presidential nominee for the 2023 leadership contest, Yameen and his supporters have led a countrywide ‘India Out’ campaign to protest New Delhi’s strong political, defense and economic ties to the Solih administration.

Several former Maldivian officials who served under Yameen have called for attacks against Indian diplomats and other Indian interests in the Maldives recently.

Last week, Abbas Adil Riza, a former government spokesperson under Yameen, called for the Indian High Commission building in Male to be set on fire.
The Maldivian Foreign Ministry has condemned the “incitement of arson and terrorism” against the Indian mission and instituted a legal probe against Riza, per an official statement over the weekend.
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