India rejects asylum request of former Maldives vice president Ahmed Adeeb, sends him back from Tuticorin port

Colombo: India on Saturday sent back a former Maldives vice president who sought asylum after fleeing the Indian Ocean archipelago nation to avoid police questioning over the alleged embezzlement of state funds, a news report said.

Former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb arrived by boat at Tuticorin port in southern India on Thursday. Indian authorities did not allow him to enter the country since he did not possess valid documents to do so.

On Saturday, Adeeb was sent back to the Maldives after questioning, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. Indian and Maldives officials declined to comment immediately.

An international legal team appearing for Adeeb said Friday that he had sought the protection of India and had initiated the process of claiming asylum.

Maldives police previously said Adeeb was supposed to be questioned this past Wednesday over the alleged embezzlement of state funds, but he did not report and instead fled the country.

Adeeb had his passport confiscated by court order due to pending court cases, according to police. He had recently been freed from a 33-year jail sentence over corruption and terrorism-related to an alleged assassination attempt on former President Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

He was arrested and jailed in 2016 after a blast on Yameen’s speedboat. Yameen’s wife was slightly injured in the blast. FBI officials assisting in the probe said they did not trace any explosives in the boat and Adeeb’s jailing was criticized as politically motivated.

After Yameen’s defeat in last year’s presidential election, Maldivian courts set aside the convictions against Adeeb and ordered a fresh investigation. However, a court imposed a travel ban because the state had appealed Adeeb’s release. Once a trusted ally and deputy to Yameen, Adeeb is now a key state witness in the corruption cases against his former leader