Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal has had a meeting with former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb.

A photo of the meeting is circulating on social media. But the location of the photo and the time it was taken are unclear.

Neither Adeeb nor Faisal could be reached for comment at the time of publishing.

But a source familiar with the matter confirmed that the meeting took place. It also appears that the meeting was held overseas.

Adhadhu team tried to verify the authenticity of the photo and checked whether it was a fake photo created using AI or editing software.

Confirmation that the photo was not generated through AI.

All the tools used by the Adhadhu team confirmed that the photo was not AI-generated or edited. However, no further data could be obtained on the photo.

Negatives of the image to ensure that it is genuine.

Former President Abdulla Yameen previously accused President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of meeting Adeeb. But Muizzu denied meeting the former Vice President during his trip to Singapore in August.

Adeeb served as the Vice President and Tourism Minister during Yameen's administration. He was sacked in connection with the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption scandal.

He was convicted of corruption and faced a long prison term, but was released at the end of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration upon a presidential pardon.

Adeeb has been living overseas since his release in late 2023. He has posted on social media from countries in the Middle East and East Asia. It is not clear which country he is currently in.