Maldives quash terror conviction of ex-vice president

A court in the Maldives Monday quashed a controversial conviction of former vice president Ahmed Adeeb and ordered a fresh trial on allegations that he attempted to assassinate his boss.

The High Court set aside the 15-year sentence handed to Adeeb in 2016 after he was found guilty of trying to blow up then-president Abdulla Yameen's speed boat in September 2015.

However, the three-judge bench in a majority decision Monday ordered that Adeeb be held in custody for 15 days pending a fresh trial.

The court held that his original trial appeared to have bene politically motivated. Adeeb was considered a close confidant of Yameen until he was dramatically impeached in November 2015 following allegations he was trying to topple the president.

Yameen escaped unhurt when an explosion ripped through his speed boat, but his wife and two others were slightly injured.

The FBI was called in to investigate the incident, but found no evidence the blast was caused by a bomb.

During his five-year tenure that ended with a shock defeat in September last year, Yameen had jailed all his political opponents. He faced the risk of international sanctions over his human rights record.

Yameen had also jailed his main political rival, Mohamed Nasheed, for 13 years on a terrorism charge which was overturned in November after his Maldivian Democratic Party won the September presidential election.