Adeeb seeks medical leave extension

Former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor, who was sentenced to 20 years in jail for MMPRC theft, has requested an extension of his permission to travel abroad for medical treatment, Maldives Correctional Service said on Saturday.

Adeeb was granted 10 days permission to travel to Singapore for medical treatment while under house arrest despite a jail sentence, on July 11. He left late that night, but the permit expired on Friday.

Corrections spokesperson Aiminath Yusreen Ahmed confirmed to Atoll Times on Saturday that the authority has received a request from Adeeb for an extension, but declined to provide specifics.

"If the treatment is not completed within the given period, like other prisoners, Adeeb can also submit documents and ask for an extension of the period," she said.

A decision on the request is pending, Corrections said. 

The Maldives Thirdway Democrats (MTD), which Adeeb founded, said in a statement on the day of his departure that he was leaving Maldives to seek treatment for a life-threatening ailment related to his nervous system.

The corrections said it had given permission to Adeeb to undergo tests that could not be done in Maldives on the advice of the medical board.

“This service and the police will continue to monitor him while he is abroad,” the corrections said in a tweet on July 12.