Male: A Maldivian court has slapped a travel ban on former president Mohamed Nasheed pending a hearing over allegations of abuse of power during his tenure.
The notice was issued in connection with an upcoming hearing of a case concerning his detention of Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed while in office.
"This detention is politically motivated, aimed solely at preventing President Nasheed from campaigning ahead of next year`s elections" said news agency Hamid Abdul Gafoor.
He said that Nasheed was due to visit the southern atolls as part of the MDP`s preparations for those elections.
The court order was served late Tuesday soon after Nasheed returned from Britain, sources close to Nasheed told News Agency.
"The court has issued a notice which says that under no circumstances should he leave Male," a source said.
In July, the same court refused to try Nasheed saying it had no jurisdiction, but a higher court ruled it could hear allegations that he ordered the illegal arrest of a judge in January.
Nasheed ordered senior judge Abdullah Mohamed`s arrest in January over corruption allegations in a move that triggered weeks of protests that finally led to his resignation.
The charge of wrongful arrest of a judge carries up to three years in prison or exile to a remote island.
Nasheed became the first democratically elected president of the atoll nation after winning its first multi-party elections in 2008.
PTI
