MALE — The Maldivian high court Sunday suspended the trial of the country's first democratically elected president who is accused of abuse of power while in office. Mohamed Nasheed, 45, who resigned in February, has challenged the legality of the special three-judge court that is hearing his case in Male, the tiny capital of the atoll nation. The special court, which held its first one-day session a month ago, had been due to reconvene Sunday. “The high court issued an injunction against the special court and the next hearing will be on Thursday,” an official told reporters. Nasheed, who attended the high court Sunday but made no public comment, is accused of giving an illegal order to the military to arrest a senior judge in January. If convicted, he could be jailed or banished to a remote island for three years — a punishment that could bar him from future elections. The Maldives, better known as a luxury holiday destination, has been rocked by violent protests over the past year in a standoff between Nasheed's party and its opponents, who are now in power. Nasheed, who won the first free elections in the Maldives in 2008, was forced out after prolonged public demonstrations against him and a mutiny by police. Nasheed stepped down as president after months of protests and later losing the support of police and the military following the judge's arrest. He has said he was forced out in a military coup. An independent commission of inquiry later ruled that Nasheed's ouster was legal and that he had not been forced to step down as he had claimed. — AP
