The opposition PPM-PNC coalition has strongly condemned conducting former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom's trials in haste.
PPM's presidential candidate and its leader, Yameen, is currently serving an eleven-year sentence for money laundering and bribery. He cannot contest the upcoming September presidential election unless a higher court quashes the Criminal Court ruling. The Criminal Court is currently trying him on other corruption cases.
The opposition coalition said in a press release that some parties are trying to violate the presidential rights of the coalition's presidential candidate and use political influence in the judiciary to pass judgment in cases against him. They accused that Yameen's trials were being conducted in haste.
The statement also said that the government was actively trying to prevent President Yameen from contesting the 2023 presidential election. The government is attempting to keep him in custody by creating politically-motivated issues, the statement said.
The statement added that the first sentence handed down to President Yameen, which found him guilty of money laundering, was unjust and that it became evident during the appeal process. The statement was referring to the 2019 money laundering conviction, which the Supreme Court later quashed in 2021.
