Maldives: Ex-President Yameen Released from Jail as Court Orders New Trial on Corruption Charges
Abdulla Yameen, the former president of the Maldives, was released from jail on Thursday after the High Court overturned his 11-year prison sentence on corruption and money-laundering charges.
The court ruled that Yameen's 2022 trial was unfair and ordered a new trial.
The decision was made ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections, in which Yameen is participating as the leader of a political party he formed while in prison.
Former Maldives President Yameen had his conviction for accepting a $1 million bribe to lease a small islet for tourism development overturned on Thursday.
His co-accused, businessman Yusuf Naeem, was also released.
Yameen, 64, was serving house arrest after his ally, Mohamed Muizzu, won the presidential elections last September.
During his five-year tenure, Yameen borrowed heavily and built infrastructure in the Maldives, a strategically placed archipelago in the Indian Ocean.