Former Vice President Ahmed Adheeb has been granted permission to travel to Singapore for medical treatment, a family member said on Tuesday. The Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) has yet to comment on the matter, but media reports suggest that arrangements are now underway for Adheeb’s departure as soon as possible.
Adheeb, who was recently treated at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) for an unspecified medical complication, applied for permission to travel abroad for medical treatment, according to media reports. His party, the Maldives Third-Way Democrats (MTD), says he is suffering from a life-threatening neurological disease, which it claims he contracted during his imprisonment in 2015.
Adheeb was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined MVR2 million in 2020 after he was convicted in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption case. However, he was transferred from jail to house arrest on medical grounds in 2020.
Adheeb’s condition remains critical, despite his recent release from the hospital, according to his family. They expressed concern about his well-being, emphasising the urgency of his medical condition.
While Adheeb awaits the opportunity to have his jail sentence commuted through parole, his legal team has been advocating for his release. However, no decision has so far been made on his plea for commutation.