Nasheed seeks EU’s aid to transfer Yameen home to ensure fair election

Parliament speaker, former president Mohamed Nasheed has asked for support from the European Union to pressure the Maldivian government to transfer the opposition leader, former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to home confinement – a move he said is crucial to ascertaining the independence and fairness of the upcoming presidential election.

Nasheed made the appeal in a meeting with Nacho Sanchez Amor, the chief observer of the EU’s co-team for the election, and member of the European Parliament, on Tuesday.

According to the Parliament, Nasheed said that it was important that Yameen, who is currently serving an 11-year-prison sentence for money laundering, is transferred home in order to ascertain the independence of the September election.

Nasheed was accompanied in the meeting by opposition PNC’s parliamentary group leader Adam Shareef Umar, and Central Henveiru MP Ali Azim, a member of Nasheed’s party, The Democrats.

Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison for money laundering and bribery charges in connection to the sale of V. Aarah for resort development on December 25, 2022.

The conviction disqualified him from contesting the upcoming election.