Opposition letter calls on President to move Yameen to house arrest

Opposition Coalition parties of PPM and PNC have sent a letter to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih requesting to move the former President Abdulla Yameen to house arrest.

The former President was sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of money laundering charges late last year.

Calls to move the Yameen to house arrest have been ringing from the opposition who have labeled his trial as a politically motivated sham. The opposition has stated that the former President and opposition leader is not safe in prison as the country undergoes the situation with COVID-19.

The letter by the opposition read that the Maafushi prison where Yameen is being held has turned into a volatile environment that has seen threats from prisoners leveled at prison guards.

It also stated that the Special Operations department of the Police had conducted searches of cells in the prison, as was reported by some media in the country. However, no details of this have been officially confirmed by the Police nor the Home Ministry, read the letter.

Expressing concern that the former President is being held in a volatile environment where Police operations are conducted the opposition stated that such operations are only held when the security of the prison is at stake.

Efforts to contact the Home Minister had not received any response, read the letter which also stated that there was a chance that the virus could spread in prisons of the country.

The letter called to increase the security of the prison during this situation.