Yameen may flee Maldives
- Yameen's spokesperson says he will never flee
- Maldivian court frees ex-leader Gayoom
Opposition in the Maldives asked the police to bar President Abdulla Yameen from leaving the country hours after he announced plans to step down in the face of a likely defeat in a court case challenging his election loss.
Yameen, who presided over a five-year crackdown targeting opposition, media and rights activists, "must not be allowed to leave the country" without facing justice over allegations of corruption, opposition lawyer Hassan Latheef told reporters in the capital Male late on Wednesday.
"We are receiving credible reports Yameen may leave the country at any minute," Latheef said outside police headquarters, urging the police to "stop Yameen's departure given ongoing investigations into allegations of corruption".
The police could not be reached for comment immediately, reported Aljazeera Online.
Ibrahim Muaz Ali, spokesperson for Yameen, dismissed the opposition's claim, saying the president "will never flee and was ready to cooperate with any investigation", according to newspaper Mihaaru.
Yameen, 59, lost the September 23 election by a margin of 16 percent to opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in an outcome hailed as a victory for democracy in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
A stunned Yameen conceded defeat a day after the election, saying he accepted the "people's verdict". Days later, at a ruling party conference, he was visibly distraught as he asked voters repeatedly: "What were you thinking? How did you assess me?"
The next week, he was angry as he urged supporters across the country to protest against the election outcome.
The call came despite announcements from a wide range of countries congratulating Solih on the result, including the United States, India, and the United Kingdom, as well as from Yameen's allies, China and Saudi Arabia, who financed his expansive infrastructure drive over the past five years.
Meanwhile, a Maldivian court overturned the 19-month jail term of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom yesterday, a month after the former president's estranged half-brother and jailer suffered a shock election drubbing.
Gayoom, 80, ruled the largely Muslim island nation for 30 straight years until he was defeated at the country's first multi-party elections in 2008, reported AFP.
He was arrested in February and accused of participating in an alleged coup during a crackdown on rivals of strongman President Abdulla Yameen, in charges his family and observers said were politically-motivated.
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