Former President Mohamed Nasheed, former Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim and head of a leading political party, Sheik Imran Abdulla, are the others to get lengthy prison terms. Nasheed has since been granted asylum in Britain.The cases have been criticized for a lack of due process violations.Adeeb still faces charges of trying to assassinate Gayoom when an explosion hit the presidential speedboat last year.
Gayoom made his trusted young protşgş Adeeb his vice president last July after sacking his running mate in the 2013 election.Later, authorities charged him with possessing firearms prohibited under the country’s terrorism law, and with corruption.The government says the mysterious blast was an assassination attempt even though FBI investigators said they found no evidence of a bomb explosion.
Nasheed along Gayoom’s running made Mohamed Jameel, who also lives in Britain, and supporters of Nazim and Adeeb formed a united opposition in exile last week with the aim to oust Gayoom.Maldives has a long history of being ruled by autocratic leaders.Gayoom’s half-brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ruled the country from 1978 to 2008 until he lost to Nasheed in the country’s first multiparty election. Nasheed resigned in 2012 after weeks of public protests for his role in jailing a sitting judge.