Emergency motion filed to Parliament over ex-VP's remand

An emergency motion was filed on Monday at Parliament over Criminal Court's rejection of former vice president Ahmed Adeeb's remand request.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Parliamentary Group Deputy Leader and Hulhudhoo MP Ilyas Labeeb submitted the motion over concerns raised by the rejection.

While Adeeb was arrested approximately 0530 hrs on early Monday morning via a separate court order, the Criminal Court moved against the detention and freed Adeeb on grounds that his initial arrest occurred in international waters outside the jurisdiction of Maldivian law.

In addition to violating a travel ban, Adeeb is accused of fleeing the country after signing a confession and agreeing to testify in court.

The Indian Coastguard escorted Virgo 9, the tugboat aboard which Adeeb attempted to flee on July 27, to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) during the early hours of Saturday and transferred him to the Maldives Coast Guard.

The Indian government refused to grant political asylum to Adeeb as requested by his international legal team.