FILE - Then Maldives President Abdulla Yameen arrives for a delegation level meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in New Delhi, India, on April 11, 2016. A court in the Maldives on Thursday, April 19, 2024, threw out former President Yameen's 11-year prison sentence on money laundering and bribery charges and ordered a retrial. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)
Republished April 18, 2024 - 6:28 PM
Original Publication Date April 18, 2024 - 9:56 AM
MALE, Maldives (AP) — A court in the Maldives on Thursday threw out former President Abdulla Yameen's 11-year prison sentence on money laundering and bribery charges and ordered a retrial.
The development comes two days ahead of parliamentary elections in this Indian Ocean archipelago nation, known as an exclusive tourist destination.
The ruling, which was broadcast on the court's YouTube channel, is seen as a potential boost to President Mohamed Muizzu's party, which is seeking to secure a majority in the 87-member Parliament. Yameen and Muizzu have long been political allies.
The High Court ruled on Yameen's appeal and said in its decision that his 2022 trial before the Criminal Court was unfair and released him.
The lower court had convicted Yameen two years ago of accepting money for leasing an island owned by the government, which he was accused of having done during his 2013-2018 term in office.
Last October, Yameen was transferred from prison to house arrest after Muizzu won the Maldives' presidential election.
No date has been scheduled for the retrial.
News from © The Associated Press, 2024