People's National Congress (PNC) presidential candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has said that a purported recording of him talking about delaying the release of jailed former President Abdulla Yameen is fake.
The person on the audio clip circulating on social media could be heard saying that Yameen’s release needs to be delayed to until after next year’s parliamentary elections.
Asked about the audio, Muizzu told Adhadhu that it was completely fake.
“It is 100 percent fake. I’ve never said anything like that anywhere. I won’t say either. This is too much for anti-campaigning out of desperation,” Muizzu said in a message.
The people sharing the audio allege that it was recorded inside Muizzu’s residence Maafannu Dhimyaath.
“I request to do it [free Yameen] after fielding the candidates we want for the parliamentary elections and based on our results.”
The person in the audio could also be heard saying that various reasons could be shown for stalling Yameen’s release from prison, including legal obstacles and the need to amend laws.
Muizzu was awarded the PNC ticket as a backup if sister party Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) was unable to field a candidate.
Muizzu left the PPM, joined the PNC and secured the ticket by winning a senate vote in the week before the deadline for submitting candidacy papers.
The opposition PPM-PNC coalition’s presidential candidate was formerly Yameen.
But after he was awarded the presidential ticket, Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison last December on bribery and money laundering charges related to the lease of Vaavu Aarah island.
The Criminal Court's verdict was appealed at the High Court but a judgment has not been reached yet.
The prison sentence narrowed Yameen’s chances of contesting in the election.
Despite the sentence, the PPM submitted Yameen’s candidacy to the Elections Commission (EC) and challenged its rejection at the Supreme Court.
But all seven justices of the apex court ruled that Yameen was ineligible to run for office.
