Pres. Yameen complains of deteriorating health, not of emaciation!

Former President Abdulla Yameen, who is serving a five-year sentence for money laundering has stated that his health is deteriorating.

Yameen stated so in the appeal hearing of his trial in the High Court today.

The hearing today heard postponement of the sentence and the release of Abdulla Yameen on bail, proposed by the defense. The biggest reason that the defense showed for the former President’s release on bail was the negative psychological and medical effects on his health.

The defense also stated that a doctor of the National Cardiac Center had diagnosed the former President with a cardiac problem or “anomaly”. The defense also stated that the doctor had recommended conducting tests abroad since there were no other tests that can be done in the Maldives.

The defense also stated that the former President had suffered injuries to a disk in the vertebrae that required surgery.

The court case had prevented the former President from obtaining surgery on the issue from abroad. The defense stated that the citizens of the country might be misled into thinking that the former President had fled the country if he had traveled abroad for the surgery then.

The conviction had also prevented the former President from conducting regular tests on the issue.

When asked by Judge Mohamed Niyaz of the judges’ bench whether the former President had the intention to flee the country and his sentence, Yameen replied that he would not flee the country.

Yameen also noted that it was difficult to pay the fine of USD five million imposed as part of the sentence since he couldn’t work while being imprisoned.

The former President also noted that he had been imprisoned for the parliament election and was again imprisoned for the local council election. He noted that the campaign by his political party was disrupted due to the fact that he was in prison.

One of the former President’s close allies, PNC leader Abdul Raheem Abdulla had met him in prison and had described as a “jailed person” and stated that the former President was thinner and was unshaven.

However, the former President was clean-shaven and wearing a white shirt in today’s trial. He also seemed thinner than before.