Home Minister Azleen Ahmed claims the government has not defied Supreme Court order to release nine political prisoners and the state was in fact in the process of implementing it.
Speaking over the phone, Minister Ahmed was quoted by Public Service Media (PSM) affirming that president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was unhinged in upholding the constitution and rule of law.
Minister Ahmed has made the statement while government has stalled implementing top-court order which was issued on Thursday - making it nearly 48 hours without action.
Top-court had annulled the anti-defection law while ordered the state to release 9 political prisoners including the former president Mohamed Nasheed and former vice president Ahmed Adeeb.
Moments after Supreme Court issued the order, attorney general Mohamed Anil along with a few top government officials spoke to public on Television Maldives, stating that the order was 'believed' to be issued from the top-court.
However several legal associates and advocates have claimed the state does not reserve the right to stall top-court orders. Former chief justice Faiz Hussain had also insisted both attorney general and prosecutor general does not have direct involvement in implementing the Supreme Court order.
Meanwhile international community has brought the issue to their attention and advised Maldivian government to respect Supreme Court order and implement it accordingly without further ado. US, UK and Sri Lanka had urged Maldives state to obey top-court order while European Union shared the same sentiment.
