Ex-president formally charged

The former president of the Maldives has been formally charged with illegally ordering the arrest of a senior judge, the move that led to his removal earlier this year.

The judge’s secret arrest in January was deemed illegal because it did not follow the procedures that are laid down for arresting a top official, the deputy prosecutor General Hussain Shameem said.

The charge filed against former president Mohamed Nasheed carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment or banishment to a remote island.