High Court on Thursday decided that former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who is currently serving a 5-year prison sentence after being convicted on money laundering charges, cannot be released under bail before the appeal process for his verdict reaches conclusion.
The court also refused to issue an order postponing the implementation of Yameen's sentence.
The aforementioned decisions were made following discussions of Yameen's requests at the last hearing of the appeal process.
The ex-president, who was jailed on November 28, 2019, claimed that he had medical complications that required treatment from abroad, according to doctors.
Therefore, the judges' bench had asked Yameen to submit the relevant documents to the court for a review.
The three judges on the bench unanimously agreed during Thursday's hearing to deny the bail request, citing that the law allows the bail option for suspects and not convicts. Although the High Court can grant bail in certain special circumstances, Judge Hussain Mazeed stated that such decisions must be avoided.
Moreover, the bench noted Yameen has the option to complete the necessary procedures if he wished to leave the country for medical reasons.
The bench also stated that the implementation of Yameen's sentence could not be delayed since there was no policy in place for such arrangements as of yet. Moreover, the judges stated that releasing a convict back into society after delaying the implementation of their sentence would violate the rights of the society.
In the attendance of various opposition members, the judges' bench announced that another hearing of the case will be scheduled for this month.
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