The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by former President Abdullah Yameen, which sought to restore his right to contest the upcoming presidential election.
President Yameen is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence on a money laundering and bribery conviction. While the main opposition, the PPM-PNC coalition, has nominated Yameen as their presidential candidate, his eligibility to run for the election hinges on a higher court overturning the verdict. Although an appeal has been filed at the High Court, hearings were stalled after a judge of the bench went on leave.
In the petition filed with the Supreme Court, President Yameen contended that his electoral rights had been infringed upon due to delays in his appeals to the High Court. However, the Registrar of the Supreme Court ruled that the case did not fall under constitutional matters as defined by the Courts Act, thus deeming it inadmissible. However, President Yameen will have the opportunity to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
