President-Elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has said the charges against former President Abdulla Yameen are politically motivated. This assertion came during his first post-election victory interview with an international news agency, Al Jazeera's Talk to Al Jazeera program.
In the interview, Dr. Muizzu expressed his commitment to tackling corruption in his upcoming administration. Dr. Muizzu was asked by the interviewer regarding his promise to secure Yameen's release from prison despite Yameen's bribery conviction.
"The charges against Yameen are political. This is very clear," Dr. Muizzu responded.
Yameen, currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for money laundering and bribery, was transferred to house arrest shortly after Dr. Muizzu's presidential win.
When the presenter asked why Yameen was transferred to home arrest instead of securing his release through the judicial system, Dr. Muizzu explained that the law permits the government and the President to transfer prisoners to house arrest.
When asked if he believes the judiciary is independent, Muizzu expressed his view that the judiciary is not currently independent.
“The judiciary is not independent at the moment,” he said.
The President-elect said he would initiate efforts to reform the judiciary on the first day of his administration.
"For one thing, the Judicial Service Commission is very political. We will amend the law to prevent political influence from reaching the JSC," Muizzu said.
