Former lawmaker appointed advisor to ex-pres Nasheed

Local firm Yacht Tours Maldives Pvt Ltd's chairman Abdulla Jabir has been appointed advisor to jailed Former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Jabir told Mihaaru that he has commenced work as a political advisor to Nasheed and proclaimed that the former president “will soon return to the Maldives”.

“Nasheed will run in the [presidential] elections in 2018 and he will win it in a single swoop. Nasheed will return to the Maldives and he will also campaign here,” declared Jabir, who had briefly served as the trade representative during the regime of Former President Mohamed Waheed.

He went on to say that the government will “soon catch up” to the incumbent President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. Jabir called on the president to return all the state funds that were embezzled during his administration and step down.

“What we want is a faithful ruler,” said Jabir, who had boasted a very close relationship with President Yameen before opposing his rule.

The former lawmaker of Kaashidhoo constituency recently told Mihaaru that he had spent a great amount to bring the current regime to power but had never expected to be thus betrayed or to see the nation fall to its current state.

Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) froze Yacht Tours’ company bank accounts last month over the company's alleged failure to settle the leases and penalties of three islands that were leased to Jabir’s Yacht Tours.

Jabir had said the action was a politically motivated plot by the government and vowed to take the matter to court.