MALE: A Maldives court has sentenced a former strongman accused of plotting to overthrow the government to 19 months in prison for failing to corporate with the police investigation.
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the Indian Ocean archipelago state from 1978 to 2008, is the second former president to be jailed under President Yameen Abdul Gayoom's rule.
He was arrested in February on charges of attempting to overthrow the government of Yameen, his half-brother.
A court sentenced him today to one year, seven months and six days in prison for failing to hand over his mobile phone to investigators.
Maldives became a multiparty democracy in 2008, ending Gayoom's 30-year strongman rule.
However, Yameen, who was elected in 2013, has rolled back much of the democratic gains.