Former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom states he does not want a pardon if it is from the current administration.
Yameen spoke regarding concerns surrounding the government’s influence on the judiciary during last night’s weekly PNF rallies held every Thursday night.
Speaking during the rally, former Nolhivaram MP Mohamed Nasheed Abdulla (Mosta) alleged that the government was influencing Yameen’s case to see him jailed with plans to later pardon the former president.
Referring to Mosta’s remarks, Yameen said he does not want a pardon, if it is from the current administration.
Yameen claimed he was jailed in the last administration in order to fulfill an electoral pledge of then-president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. He added that two incumbent ministers visited Solih at the instructions of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, and pleaded to keep him in prison.
“Two people who were close to me in PPM went [to Solih] and pleaded against releasing President Yameen. They went because Muizzu sent them,” he said.
“They will know who I am talking about,” he stressed.
Yameen remarked that he is facing all of his trial stages with firm resolve. He further said that he has the public’s support.
Yameen emphasized that President Muizzu and his close acquaintances cannot escape justice when their cases are investigated after the current administration ends.
Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison on December 25, 2022, on charges of bribery and money laundering in connection with the sale of V. Aarah. The High Court overturned the conviction on April 18, citing major legal irregularities.
But instead of a full exoneration, the court overturned the two convictions and ordered a retrial in the case.
As such, the Criminal Court is currently reviewing the case, alongside two more charges against the former president in a separate case.