Maldives court orders arrest of exiled leaders Nasheed and Jameel

A Maldives court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for exiled leaders of the Maldives United Opposition, including former President Mohamed Nasheed and Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, according to Maldives news media.
The warrant for Nasheed’s arrest was sought over an investigation into the alleged misuse of state funds during his presidency, the police was quoted as saying in a statement.
These developments come in the backdrop of reports that Nasheed and Jameel were in Sri Lanka last week for secret discussions on efforts to oust President Abdulla Yameen through constitutional means one of which is through an impeachment in parliament. Tuesday ruling was followed by a surprise protest march in the streets of Male, the capital, with participants calling for Yameen’s resignation.
It was not immediately clear whether police would seek the assistance of Sri Lankan authorities to arrest the opposition leaders if they are confirmed to be in Colombo.
Both Nasheed and Jameel were recently granted political refugee status by the British government. Political uncertainty has gripped the Maldives with a drop in tourist arrivals being attributed to the unrest.
However government ministers say the drop was partly due to Brexit (Britain’s exit from the European Union) and a slowdown in the economy in China, the country’s biggest tourism source market. (Feizal)