Maldives Vice-President arrested for ‘high treason’

The arrest, announced by the Home Affairs Minister, was reportedly made to stop Mr. Ghafoor from fleeing the country.

In a surprising turn of events, the Maldives arrested its Vice-President, Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor, on the charge of “high treason” on Saturday.

The arrest, announced in a tweet by Umar Naseer, Home Affairs Minister of the island nation, was reportedly made to stop Mr. Ghafoor from fleeing the country.

Powerful blast

At a press conference, the Maldives Police Service said the arrest was made in connection with a powerful blast which hit the Presidential boat on September 28.

The blast, aimed at President Abdullah Yameen, ended up injuring his wife and some of his colleagues.

The police said they were compelled to arrest Mr. Ghafoor in view of the serious charges against him in the case. The arrest has caused tumult in the Indian Ocean nation with one Maldivian diplomat describing the situation in the capital, Male, as reflecting a “political emergency”.

Travel plans hit

The arrest has hit travel of important figures to India. Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has postponed his weekend trip.

India’s External Affairs Ministry has maintained silence despite the fact that Mr. Yameen had reiterated his “India First” policy during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to the island nation this month.

The ties between Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor, 33, Maldivian Vice-President, who was arrested on Saturday on the charge of “high treason”, and President Abdullah Yameen have soured considerably in recent months, official sources in the island nation told The Hindu requesting anonymity.

The former had become a vocal critic of Mr. Yameen’s domestic and international policies. Mr. Ghafoor had been receiving support from Islamist parties, some of whose leaders were taken into preventive custody before his arrest.

He is among the youngest in the history of the Maldives to occupy the post and the second senior political figure after former President Mohammed Nasheed to be arrested. Mr. Ghafoor was sworn in as the fifth Vice-President on July 22.

The Maldivian courts have in recent months come in for intense criticism by human rights organisations. Hasan Zahir, former president of the Maldives Journalists Association, told The Hindu that the trial of the Vice-President would be another protracted one as the details of the case were shrouded in secrecy.