Criminal Court of the Maldives has rejected the charges pressed by the state against former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, freeing him from detention.
The Prosecutor General's Office (PG Office) pressed 7 charges against Adeeb, including two charges for participating in embezzlement of state funds, two charges for money laundering, two charges for influence peddling and one charge for illicit use of an official position. At the preliminary hearing of the trial, Criminal Court Judge Ismail Rasheed rejected the charges citing the lack of sufficient credible evidence against Adeeb, as the charges are largely dependent on confession agreements signed between the defendant and the PG Office, which holds no validity in court.
Adeeb had previously been sentenced to 33 years in prison over charges of corruption and terrorism. However, the sentences were later overturned by the Supreme Court of the Maldives as the charges were pressed through an investigation filled with political influence and violated the international conventions signed by the Maldives.
The former vice president has now been freed from detention following the rejection of the latest charges by the Criminal Court. He had been under house arrest until a ruling is issued regarding the charges pressed against him.
Adeeb had also served the sentence of 3 months and 18 days, which was imposed for his attempt to flee the country while his passport was seized by the orders of the Supreme Court of the Maldives. The sentence was completed on January 3, 2020.