The Ministry of Home Affairs has declined to provide additional information pertaining to the transfer of jailed former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb to house arrest due to medical complications.
Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) confirmed that Adeeb was temporarily transferred to house arrest during October.
He is currently residing in an apartment in reclaimed suburb Hulhumale', with MCS officers stationed for security purposes.
At the time, Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla stated that doctors instructed Adeeb to utilise a machine throughout the hours of the night and that he was subsequently transferred because the equipment could not be operated at prison facilities.
However, local media outlet Mihaaru revealed that the home ministry refused to provide any additional information regarding the situation, claiming that the support section of the inspectorate of correctional service had refused to disclose an individual's personal details.
In addition to the ministry, Mihaaru reported that MCS had also turned down a request to clarify what type of machine Adeeb was instructed to use and for what purpose, the reason this piece of medical equipment could not be used inside the jail, as well as the length of his house arrest period.
The refusal was finalised under Section 23 (a) of the Right to Information Act, which stipulates that if "information to be disclosed by a state institute concerns the personal information of a third person, the Information Officer of that state institute shall not disclose the information without the consent of the third party".
However, Section (b) of the same Act details that the Committee of the relevant state institute could opt to release the information without the consent of the third party, provided that "disclosure of the third person’s personal information is in the interest of maintaining public interest".
The Criminal Court sentenced the former Vice President to serve 20 years in prison with an MVR 2 million fine, over his involvement in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) scandal.
The largest corruption case recorded in Maldives' history, the MMPRC scandal involved the embezzlement of MVR 4 billion in state funds, which were acquired through leasing islands and lagoons for tourism development and siphoned by private company, SOF Pvt Ltd.
Authorities confirm that the 300 or so suspected individuals include high-ranking officials from the incumbent and past administrations, in addition to parliament representatives, judges, members of independent bodies and officers of law enforcement.
Till date, only ex-President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, former Vice President Adeeb and previous MMPRC Managing Director Abdulla Ziyath were convicted over their involvement in the MMPRC scandal. Yameen is currently serving five years in jail, along with a fine amounting to USD 5 million, while Adeeb is serving a 20-year prison sentence with a fine of MVR 2 million. Ziyath is serving 11 years in prison.
The matter has now been submitted to the home ministry's review committee which must process the request within 30 days, as per standard procedure. A period of 45 days is allocated for special circumstances.
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