Maldives to probe ex-president

A Maldives court will hold a hearing into how former president Mohamed Nasheed ordered the arrest of a judge whose detention sparked protests that brought his administration down, officials said Monday. Government spokesman Masood Imad said a magistrate on Sunday agreed to hear the state's complaint against Nasheed. However, no hearing has been fixed. "There are several logistical and legal issues that must be addressed and therefore the judge did not give a date for the next hearing nor did he issue a charge sheet," Imad told AFP by telephone. However, in a statement issued later Monday, Imad said the authorities had decided to formally charge Nasheed for "abuse of power and the unlawful arrest of a judge". Nasheed had senior judge Abdullah Mohamed arrested in January after accusing him of corruption and abuse of power. The arrest sparked widespread anti-Nasheed protests which eventually led to his downfall. Weeks of protests were capped by a police mutiny that forced Nasheed to step down on February 7. He later said he was forced to leave as a result of a military coup. Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) condemned the government move to take him to court and said the action was designed to prevent him from running for re-election.