Former Minister of State for Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Ashad Ali has voluntarily returned to the Maldives and turned himself to serve his prison sentence.
The Commissioner of Prisons Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu said Ashad is currently under the custody of Maldives Correctional Service (MCS).
Ashad was sentenced to prison for 15-days after he failed to fulfill his responsibilities as the guarantor to bring the former Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed back to the Maldives for his sexual assault and harassment trial. Ali Waheed left the country last year citing a need for urgent medical treatment, and Ashad was made responsible to bring the former minister back to the country within four months for his trial. However, Ali Waheed has still not returned to the Maldives.
The Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) pressed charges against Ashad for his failure to fulfill the conditions set by the court for the release of Ali Waheed. Although the state had requested a one-year prison sentence for Ashad, the Criminal Court decided to sentence him to prison for just 15 days. The sentence was issued in the absence of Ashad, who did not show up to the hearing.
Following the prison sentence, Ashad was removed from his position as the state minister.