Former Maldives Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, who had sought asylum in India, was deported to his country on Friday, 2 August, reported The Hindu.
Quoting sources in the Bureau of Immigration, the report said Adeeb was handed over to Maldivian authorities at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
Adeeb was detained by Indian authorities off the Thoothukudi coast on 1 August, Thursday afternoon, while trying to enter India. Since his detention, he remained on a tugboat anchored near the old harbour and had sought asylum in India. This request was denied by Indian authorities.
According to sources, the tugboat carrying him was taken to IMBL, and he was handed over to the Maldivian authorities. The crew of the tugboat, which included eight Indonesian nationals and one Indian, were brought back to Indian shores.
‘Used As a Political Pawn’: Law Firm Representing Adeeb
Earlier in a press statement, a law firm from Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers, which claims to represent Adeeb, said he has sought asylum in the country. “The Indian authorities are therefore under an obligation to consider his request and ensure that he is not arbitrarily handed over to the authorities of the Republic of Maldives, where he is at the risk of ill-treatment,” the statement read.
Adeeb was accused of plotting an assassination attempt against the then president Abdulla Yameen in 2015.
The firm said after serving his time in prison, in 2018, the Supreme Court of Maldives had acquitted him of all charges. Since then he has been held under house arrest and was “used as a political pawn by the State Security Forces to implicate members of the previous administration.”
The statement claimed that the Maldivian Security Services sought to coerce him into signing documents that would amount to a false admission of guilt and put his life, and those of his family members, in danger.
Those Who Aided Adeeb Will be Subjected to Investigation: Maldivian Police
In an official statement released on 1 August, the Maldivian police had claimed he was facing trial on multiple charges.
“He has an active travel ban imposed by the Supreme Court of Maldives and remains a subject of an investigation for alleged misappropriation of state funds, corruption and money laundering. He failed to appear for an investigative interview session scheduled by Maldives Police Service for 31 July 2019,” the statement noted.
The statement also added that all persons involved in aiding Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Ghafoor to flee the country will be subject to a criminal investigation.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)