Maldives Police Service (MPS) has revealed it has been informed by the UK police that former Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed has been arrested.
MPS stated it has received official confirmation that Ali Waheed is currently being held in the UK over immigration-related charges. MPS added it is now working to bring Ali Waheed back to the country for his trial.
On August 25, some media reports claimed Ali Waheed, who is on trial for rape and sexual harassment charges, was arrested in the UK while he was preparing to conduct a press conference. However, at the time MPS stated no authority from the UK had shared information about the arrest.
Ali Waheed left the Maldives in February while under trial, citing a need for urgent medical treatment. In August, the Criminal Court rejected a request from the MPS to withhold Ali Waheed's passport.
In that same month, the Supreme Court of the Maldives sentenced Ali Waheed to two months and 12 days in prison for contempt of court after he failed to appear at a scheduled court hearing.
The former minister is facing charges of sexually assaulting and harassing some of the female employees at the Ministry of Tourism. He has been charged with two counts of sexual abuse, two counts of unlawful sexual conduct, a single count of attempted sexual abuse, indecent exposure, and a single count of attempted rape.