FILE - In this May 30, 2012 file photo, workers stand on the scaffolding of a modern commercial building in Beijing, China. Plagued by uncertainty and fresh setbacks, the world economy has weakened further and will grow more slowly over the next year, the International Monetary Fund says in its latest forecast. Advanced economies are risking recession, the international lending organization said Tuesday, Oct. 9 in a quarterly update of its World Economic Outlook, and the malaise is spreading to more dynamic emerging economies such as China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

Arrested Maldives ex-president denies charges

By HUSSAIN SINAN

| The Associated Press

First Published Oct 09 2012 12:14 pm • Last Updated Oct 09 2012 12:14 pm

Male, Maldives • Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed denied criminal charges on Tuesday that he illegally ordered the detention of a senior judge while in office.

The detention of the judge earlier this year triggered weeks of public protests that led to Nasheed’s resignation. He has since insisted that he was ousted by a military coup.

Police arrested Nasheed on Monday after he twice ignored a court summons and defied an order prohibiting him from leaving the capital.

Hundreds of supporters protested outside the court Tuesday as police brought Nasheed inside. He told the court that the charges were politically motivated and designed to prevent him from running for the presidency next year.

He was released after the hearing because police had only been asked to produce him in court.

Nasheed became Maldives’ first democratically elected president in 2008 after 30 years of autocratic rule. He accused the detained senior judge of political bias.

An inquiry commission has determined that his departure from the presidency was legal.

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

About Reader Comments

---

Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, please alert us by clicking the arrow on the upper right side of the comment and selecting "Flag comment as inappropriate". If you've recently registered with Disqus or aren't seeing your comments immediately, you may need to verify your email address. To do so, visit disqus.com/account.
See more about comments here.