Ex-Maldives leader Yameen’s jail sentence could fan flames of his ‘India Out’ campaign
- Yameen, the half-brother of former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was sent to prison following Sunday’s sentence, which included a US$5 million fine
- He is poised to represent the Progressive Party of Maldives, which drifted closer to Beijing after his 2013 election, in polls due by September 2023
Yameen, the half-brother of former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was sentenced on Sunday and fined US$5 million. He has bounced back from previous criminal convictions, notably a five-year sentence in 2019 for money laundering that was eventually overturned by the country’s Supreme Court, allowing for his political renaissance.
The latest court decision has sparked worries that Yameen’s supporters could step up their anti-India campaign in a show of force to defy what they describe as a politically motivated attempt to derail the rise of the PPM in election season.
“We reiterate our belief that this trial and verdict is a political witch-hunt against our presidential candidate … and call for his immediate and unconditional release,” the PPM said in a statement.
Yameen, who lost a re-election bid in 2018 to current President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, has drawn large crowds at rallies with his “India Out” campaign that has revitalised his PPM.
Security measures at the Indian High Commission in Maldives were tightened following a threat by a former state minister for finance, Abbas Adil Riza, to set the building ablaze, as he alleged that New Delhi had ordered an act of arson after former President Mohamed Nasheed’s government was overthrown in 2012. But he did not comment on Yameen’s sentence.
