Former president of the Maldives, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom has appealed his 11-year jail sentence in High Court today. The appeal was filed on behalf of President Yameen by his lawyer and former Vice President of Maldives, Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed.
In a tweet made earlier today, Dr. Jameel said that the rule of law can only be maintained in Maldives if there is a judiciary free from government influence.
“Promoting judges because of a certain verdict and leaking audios is wrong. We will succeed,” Dr. Jameel tweeted.
On 25 December 2022, the Criminal Court sentenced President Yameen to 11 years in prison and fined him $5 million. He was convicted of money laundering and accepting bribes in connection with the V. Aarah case.
President Yameen, who is the winner of PPP and PNC coalition’s presidential ticket will be able to contest this year’s presidential election only after a higher court quashes the Criminal Court’s conviction against him.
