The Maldives Foreign Minister, Dunya Maumoon, has said the decision to arrest Vice-President Ahmed Adeeb was “extremely regrettable”, but was unavoidable as it was in connection with the investigation into an explosion on the Presidential boat last month.
In an e-mail interview with The Hindu , Ms. Maumoon said the government had enough evidence to suggest strongly that the September 28 blast was an attempt on President Abdulla Yameen’s life. Though she did not say who was behind the blast, she said Mr. Adeeb was taken into custody “because the relevant authorities are determined that an impartial investigation could not be carried out unless the Vice-President was detained”.
She said Mr. Adeeb refused to cooperate with the investigation authorities. “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the Vice-President had been exerting undue influence on the Maldives Police Service, through official and unofficial channels and by the use of resources outside the scope of the state budget.”
Asked whether the recent political crises and dismissal of a number of government officials point to some instability to the Yameen regime, she said: “Reports of instability are wholly inaccurate.”