Yameen refuses to believe President Muizzu advised that he be moved to house arrest

Former President Abdulla Yameen, who was jailed after being convicted on bribery and money laundering charges during his regime, but was later transferred to house arrest, has said that he does not believe current President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu called for this transfer.

Yameen's comments were made during a meeting held by People's National Front (PNF), a new political party formed by the former president.

Although Yameen does not believe his former close associate called for leniency on his original prison sentence, President Muizzu, upon winning the presidential elections on 30th September 2023, addressed the nation for the first time as President-elect and called on the then President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to move Yameen to house arrest. His remarks on the matter were made early on in the speech as well.

"At this moment, I sincerely and humbly request President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to transfer our beloved president, President Yameen [to] house [arrest]. Transferring him home is something the President is legally able to do. Transferring him home is in the best interest of the country today," Muizzu said that day, speaking in Meerumaa hall.

However, Yameen, during the PNF meeting last night, said that he does not believe this.

Instead he said that when President Muizzu and current Speaker of the Parliament Abdul Rahmeem Abdulla found out he was put on a speedboat to be transferred from Maafushi Prison to Malé on the afternoon of 1st October 2023, they were at the President's Office to meet with the then President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Yameen claimed that it was Abdul Raheem himself who told him about this.

"But, after they came here to meet me [on the day of his house arrest transfer, near his residence], while [people] were shaking hands with me, they took the mic and made someone say that President Yameen was brought home because President Muizzu, or president-elect Muizzu requested, and advised him to do so," Yameen said.

"They kept saying it from the loud speaker. If I remember correctly, they made Santo say it [that day]. But, that same Abdul Raheem said that they were only able to meet President Solih while President Yameen was being brought here [Malé] by launch."

He went on to say that he's speaking with the knowledge of the matter and reiterated that President Muizzu and Speaker Abdul Raheem did not advise President Solih on his transfer.

While these claims are yet to be confirmed, President Muizzu and Speaker Abdul Raheem did in fact, meet with President Solih the afternoon of the following day after winning the presidential election.

Following that meeting President Muizzu said that President Solih's decision to release Yameen to home arrest was done in the best interest of the country, and that he thanks President Solih for it.

"This is a major cause of happiness. This is in the best interest of many people and the country's stability. Justice for him [Yameen] is what I wish today and what they people want as well," President Muizzu said at the time.

At the time of Yameen's conviction which handed him an 11 year prison sentence, many members of the then Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) leadership called on the government to transfer Yameen home.

PPM was the party which Yameen and President Muizzu were a part of at the time. PPM and current ruling party People's National Congress (PNC), of which Abdul Raheem is a founding member, were a coalition before the two, Yameen and President Muizzu, parted ways.

Abdul Raheem, who now serves as the chairperson of PNC, said that Yameen found President Muizzu to be wrong from the point the president said no one would be able to have control over him.

According to him Yameen first disagreed when President Muizzu wanted to host a gathering to thank the public. He said that Yameen wanted that gathering to be held after he was freed from prison. However, since the gathering was already publicly announced, Abdul Raheem said he told that the gathering should proceed as planned.

This was the starting point of Yameen finding Muizzu to be wrong, Abdul Raheem said.

However, Yameen believes that he was released because of his criticism of the government's mistakes.