Miadhu News today reports from the Maldives on the ongoing civil defamation lawsuit brought by former Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom against Adhaalath Party. Gayoom says that Sheikh Husain Rasheed has publicly defamed him on several occasions by saying that he was a not a Muslim. (See prior posting.) The first hearing in the lawsuit was held yesterday at which Gayoom's attorneys presented his case.
UDATE: Minivan News reported on Jan. 8, 2009 that Gayoom's defamation suit has been withdrawn, with Gayoom saying it would be futile to pursue it once the election is over.
