High Court on Monday issued a temporary order to shift former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb to house arrest, until the conclusion of his appeal to be sent abroad for medical treatment.
The Civil Court had denied Adeeb’s request to be sent abroad in 2018, stating that the procedures to be followed under the regulation to provide medical care to inmates, were not completed.
Adeeb had appealed the verdict at the High Court, and requested to be placed under house arrest until the end of his trial.
In the appeal hearing held Monday afternoon, the state protested that there were no grounds to grant Adeeb's request. According to the state attorneys, Adeeb had recently been placed under house arrest as per his doctor's advice, and was shifted back to prison after the doctor's recommended period. The state maintained that the doctor had not advised to keep Adeeb home since then, adding that the procedures to issue a temporary order were also not complete.
The state went on to declare that Adeeb was placed in an air-conditioned VIP cell, with access to television, exercise, a nurse who checks his health regularly, and a cell mate should Adeeb require additional assistance.
However, Adeeb's lawyer Mohamed Ismail claimed that his client was transferred back to jail before the period recommended by his doctor expired. He highlighted that Adeeb's condition had worsened and he was rushed to the hospital twice since he was taken back to jail, further claiming that neither Adeeb nor his family were informed of his doctor's advice.
Ismail also claimed that Adeeb's cellmate was a 60-year-old who was convicted of molesting a child, and thus the inmate would not be able to assist Adeeb in case of a medical emergency.
Maldives Correctional Services (MCS) also attended the hearing on Monday. MCS asserted that they were following the orders of Adeeb's doctor, and that the service had also completed all necessary procedures after the doctor advised medical treatment abroad for the former vice president last year.
The judges bench clarified further details from MCS, including the procedures completed regarding the advise to send Adeeb abroad, and provision of medical care in prisons.
MCS replied that there were four doctors and nurses stationed in the prison's health centre, along with those on-call for emergencies.
After the statements, the judges unanimously agreed to issue the temporary order to transfer Adeeb to house arrest. The court also concluded hearings of the appeal case but did not announce a date for the verdict hearing.
The judge’s bench includes presiding Judge Shujau Usmaan, Judge Hassan Ali and Judge Hussein Shaheed.
Adeeb is serving a 33-year jail sentence over orchestrating an assassination attempt on former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom and for his involvement in Maldives Marketing And Public Relations Corporation's MVR 1.4 billion embezzlement case.
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