Maldives court overturns jail term for former strongman accused of plotting to overthrow government
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was among dozens of political opponents jailed by outgoing President Yameen Abdul Gayoom during his five-year rule
A High Court in the Maldives on Thursday overturned a prison sentence for the country’s former strongman, who had been jailed for not cooperating with a police investigation into allegations he was trying to overthrow the government.
The court set aside the jail term of one year, seven months and six days imposed by the Criminal Court on ex-president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
Maumoon was jailed in June for not handing over his cellphone to investigators after being accused of being part of a plan to overthrow his half-brother, outgoing President Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
Maumoon was among dozens of political opponents and officials jailed by Yameen during his five-year rule after trials criticised for lacking due process.
Yameen lost last month’s presidential election to joint opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. T
