Police on Thursday arrested opposition aligned Jumhoory Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim over allegations of bribery.
A JP official citing the arrest warrant told Avas that the business magnate had been taken into custody over recent allegations of bribing fellow lawmakers and making incitements to overthrow the government.
Police had sought charges against the Maamigili lawmaker on Wednesday Maamigili lawmaker over a recent speech he had given during a JP rally where he was alleged to have hinted at possible bribing of fellow lawmakers, but prosecutors had not confirmed that Gasim had been formally charged.
During his speech Gasim who had recently teamed up with main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader Mohamed Nasheed, deposed ruling party leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and religiously conservative Adhaalath Party (AP) leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla had urged government lawmakers vote in favour of a censure motion to unseat parliament speaker Abdulla Maseeh. He had vowed to assist lawmakers secure re-election if they voted in favour of the motion.
Government had defeated the motion after opposition lawmakers staged a walkout, aggrieved with the decision to take a roll-call vote.
Gasim had on Wednesday had hinted at his imminent arrest, but insisted that he would not back-down in the face of "intimidation."
Gasim's empire had also faced sanctions over unpaid rent on an island leased to his Villa Shipping and Trading Company for resort development.
The resort tycoon had also been slapped with a travel ban to prevent him from leaving the country while the country's inland revenue department has frozen the company's account until nearly USD100 million in unpaid rent and fines are settled.
