Lawyers and opposition leaders quickly rejected the accusations, saying President Yameen Abdul Gayoom was using the state of emergency to weaken his political opponents. A Sunday statement from the president’s office said Gayoom had bribed government officials and judges and encouraged riots. Authorities also found a bag with $215,000 in U.S. currency and about $10,000 worth of Maldivian currency belonging to one of the arrested justices, the statement said. Political chaos has shaken the government since early February, when the Supreme Court ordered that a group of imprisoned opposition leaders, including Nasheed, be freed. The government quickly pushed back against that order, eventually declaring a state of emergency and arresting the two Supreme Court justices and other politicians.

Source: National Post February 12, 2018 10:37 UTC