Former Maldivian President arrested in money laundering case

Male [Maldives], Feb 18 (ANI): A criminal court ordered the authorities to detain former Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen in connection with a money laundering case.
The Prosecutor General's office sought a court order to take Yameen into custody following which he was summoned for a hearing which was scheduled on short notice on Monday, reported Maldives Independent.
The former Maldivian President will be detained for the duration of the trial. He has been accused of attempting to bribe witnesses to change or retract their statements, prosecutors told the court.
The criminal court has ordered former president Abdulla Yameen to be detained for the duration of his trial on money laundering charges.
Yameen was summoned for a hearing scheduled on short notice on Monday afternoon after the Prosecutor General’s office sought a court order to take him into custody.
Maldives Independent quoted reporters who attended the hearing as stating that a document based on "verbal testimony" was submitted as evidence.
A secret document to reveal Yameen’s alleged attempt to block a police investigation into a suspicious transaction flagged by the Financial Intelligence Unit was also submitted as evidence in the court.
Yameen, however, denied the allegations of bribery and challenged the legality of the money laundering charges.
Following the hearing, the former president was taken out on a military vehicle to a remand centre on Maafushi Island.
Supporters of Yameen gathered outside the courthouse to demand his release. (ANI)