Supreme Court backs court order for Adeeb’s transfer to house arrest

Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the court order issued by High Court to transfer former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor from prison to house arrest.

Adeeb had originally petitioned not for a transfer to house arrest, but for a medical leave to travel abroad for treatment. The petition, filed in 2018, was pushed out of Civil Court which cited failure to meet due procedure for application of medical leave by inmates.

The decision of the Civil Court was appealed by Adeeb at the High Court, which issued an order establishing that he must be transferred from prison to house arrest pending the conclusion of his medical treatment.

The State had appealed the High Court’s order, and Supreme Court issued a ruling the very next day suspending the High Court’s order pending a review of the order.

The Supreme Court issued its ruling in the matter this Thursday morning.

It concurred with the High Court’s judgement that Adeeb’s health condition required he be transferred to house arrest, and ruled in favor of upholding the High Court’s order.

The Supreme Court’s ruling reinforces the decision of Maldives Correctional Service to transfer the former VP to conditional house arrest over his poor health on March 26.