Former President Abdulla Yameen said last night that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu wants to keep him in jail more than the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
Speaking at a People's National Front (PNF) rally last night, Yameen referred to President Muizzu expressing concern over alleged MDP influence to resume his stalled appeal. At the same time, the President was also claiming to wish for his release, Yameen said.
Alleging government influence to stall his appeal over recent months, Yameen said President Muizzu's concern raises questions about his intention.
"The President said President Yameen's hearing is being held tomorrow [Thursday] because of work done by the MDP. Then [he said], 'it is my hope that President Yameen is freed.' But it's the hidden meaning that comes here, if you're a poet. But [Muizzu said] it's regrettable that the MDP exerted influence to do this. So what's the intention?" Yameen asked.
Yameen also alleged that senior government officials meddled in the judiciary and assured President Muizzu that he would not be released before Sunday's parliamentary elections.
President Muizzu was now upset that a hearing was scheduled suddenly for Thursday before the elections, Yameen said.
"Is this a person who isn't able to make his thought process straight or is it something said truthfully because he just doesn't know? What is happening? 'I'm not happy with MDP exerting influence over this. But President Yameen needs to be freed. But I'm upset that a hearing is to be held tomorrow to free him. That's coming from MDP's influence.' So if we're to infer from this, President Muizzu wants to keep me in jail more than MDP," Yameen said.
The High Court scheduled a hearing for 1 pm today to deliver its judgment in the appeal of Yameen's prison sentence, four months after concluding hearings.
Speaking at a campaign rally last night, President Muizzu condemned alleged MDP influence to bring forward the judgment. The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is under the MDP's control as both the commission's chair and Speaker of Parliament are MDP members, he alleged.
The scheduling of the hearing after Speaker Mohamed Aslam submitted a complaint for the JSC to look into the delays in Yameen's appeal shows the extent of the opposition's influence over the judiciary, President Muizzu said. The appeal had also been stalled due to the MDP's influence, he added.
"It has been scheduled when the Majlis Speaker from the MDP called for it. I am very happy that it happened. My prayer is for President Yameen to be freed as we have always been saying," President Muizzu said at a People's National Congress (PNC) podium.
"Therefore, I condemn the MDP exerting influence over the judiciary by wielding the MDP's power within the JSC until today."
President Muizzu said he wishes to change the composition of the JSC through Parliament and remove politicians from the oversight body in order to free it from political influence.
Freeing President Yameen was a campaign pledge of President Muizzu. However, disagreements arose between the pair in the first week of the new administration, after which Yameen left the ruling coalition, formed a new party called the People's National Front (PNF) and started working in opposition to the government. Yameen has since been harshly criticizing the current government.
Yameen had been transferred to house arrest after former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's defeat in the presidential election. He was later granted privileges to move freely in Male'.
Yameen was found guilty of accepting and laundering a USD 1.1 million bribe for a resort lease in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption scandal. The Criminal Court sentenced him to 11 years in prison and imposed a fine of USD 5 million.
