Supreme Court of Maldives has overturned the 13-year jail sentence on former President Mohamed Nasheed. Following the verdict, former President Nasheed is a free man with no jail sentences to serve.
Former President Nasheed was serving a jail sentence after the Criminal Court of Maldives found him guilty of terrorism following the abduction of a sitting judge during his presidency.
During the last hearing, the prosecution cited repeated concerns raised about the case by various entities and the case being of public interest as the reasons for the decision to appeal the case and the legal team representing Nasheed reiterated the verdict passed on the former president was unjust and unconstitutional.
The former president was sentenced to 13-years in jail in 2015. However, he spent about 3 years in exile in UK and Sri Lanka after the government granted him permission to travel abroad for medical treatment. He returned back on November 1 after the Supreme Court deferred his jail sentence pending a review.