Maldives ex-leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom freed on bail: Official

A Maldivian court Sunday granted bail to jailed former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the country's longest-serving leader, a week after his estranged half-brother was defeated at a presidential election.
Gayoom, 80, and his legislator son Faris Maumoon, were released by the High Court in Male after they mounted fresh appeals against their controversial convictions.

The release followed appeals from President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih who urged incumbent Abdulla Yameen to free all political prisoners in the tourist paradise atoll nation after his stunning victory at the September 23 election.

Gayoom had ruled the nation of 340,000 Sunni Muslims for 30 straight years till he was defeated at the country's first multi-party elections in 2008.

He helped his half-brother Yameen win a controversial run-off election in 2013, but they later fell out and became bitter foes.

Gayoom was arrested in February along with the country's Chief Justice and another Supreme Court justice on a charge of attempting to topple Yameen. He declared a 45-day state of emergency to block impeachment.

The country's elder leader was serving a 19-month jail term for obstruction of justice and was also under trial on a "terrorism" charge.

Another Maldivian dissident, Qasim Ibrahim, was also granted bail. Soon after his defeat, Yameen freed five other political prisoners but was delaying the release of his half-brother who could have made a claim to the leadership of his PPM party.

Yameen had jailed or exiled most of his rivals during a turbulent five-year term that will come to en end on November 17 when Solih will be sworn in.