Officers from Maldives Police Service and Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) will accompany former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb when he travels to India for medical treatment, announced Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday.
MCS announced the decision late Tuesday to allow Adeeb to travel abroad upon the advice of the Medical Board, which sparked concern as the former vice president was accused of several criminal offences.
In a statement released Wednesday, the home ministry assured that Adeeb will be accompanied by the police and MCS, and that all security arrangements have been completed.
Adeeb's wife Mariyam Nashwa also confirmed that his family was informed of the decision.
We have also been informed that security officials from both Maldives Police Service and Maldives Correctional Service would be accompanying us throughout our medical trip.
— Nash (@maryam_nashwa) June 11, 2019
According to the home ministry, the authorities decided to send Adeeb abroad as there were no further treatments possible for the vice president's medical condition in Maldives. Stating that doctors had repeatedly advised to send Adeeb overseas, the ministry noted that the state had also attempted to provide treatment for Adeeb in Maldives by bringing in a glaucoma specialist.
The home ministry guaranteed that the government was taking all necessary steps to ensure that Adeeb will be brought to justice, and that allowing him to travel abroad for medical purposes will not hinder such efforts.
The former vice president and Tourism Minister had on several occasions requested to travel abroad for medical purposes.
Following the recent annulment of his sentences, Adeeb is currently acquitted of all charges against him, escaping a hefty 33-year jail sentence.
The Supreme Court overturned his 10-year sentence over charges of illegal weapons possession, while the High Court overturned Adeeb's 10-year and 8-year sentences over his involvement in the blast aboard the presidential speedboat in 2015, and corruption charges respectively.
While the High Court had ordered the Criminal Court to retry two of the cases, the lower court sent the charges back to the Prosecutor General's Office.
However, the state appealed the High Court's verdict on Adeeb's corruption case at the Supreme Court last Monday.
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