Former President Abdulla Yameen has said that his rights have been lost due to the delays in the appeal trial of his 11-year prison sentence and that he believes the current government tried to impede his appeal trial.
In response to a question from Adhadhu outside the High Court on Thursday night after he was freed following the overturning of the lower court's decision, Yameen said he knew in advance that the sentence would be quashed.
Yameen said he was already convinced that the case would not be proved based on the evidence presented against him and that he was mostly concerned about the delay in the appeal hearings.
The former President said the hearings had been cancelled several times due to the absence of the prosecution lawyers and said the delay in the trial was what the current government wanted.
Yameen also criticized some of the policies of the government. He said the issue concerning India remains unresolved and slammed President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu for not rescinding the "unlawful" decree issued by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to ban the "India Out" movement.
Yameen was found guilty of accepting and laundering a USD 1.1 million bribe for the resort lease transaction of Vaavu Aarah island. The Criminal Court sentenced him to 11 years in prison and imposed a fine of USD 5 million on December 25, 2022. The sentence was appealed in March 2023 and the hearings began in June 2023. The concluding statements were heard on November 21, 2023.
