Supreme Court of Maldives has ordered the release of former Minister of Defence and National Security Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu, pending a review on his 10-year jail sentence.
The Supreme Court issued the order following a submission by the former defence minister to review the sentence issued by the Criminal Court of Maldives in 2015. With the suspension of his sentence, the Supreme Court has instructed the authorities not to take any action against Tholhath until his case is reviewed.
The Prosecutor General’s Office raised terrorism charges against the former minister following the illegal arrest and imprisonment of former Chief Judge of Criminal Court of Maldives Abdulla Mohamed in January 2012. Former President Mohamed Nasheed was also jailed for 13-years for similar charges regarding the same case. He is also currently released from prison until his case is reviewed by the Supreme Court.