Qasim Ibrahim jailed for 38 months

The Maldives’ last remaining Opposition leader in the country was handed a prison sentence on Friday as President Abdulla Yameen stepped up a crackdown on political dissent in South Asia’s troubled tropical paradise.

Qasim Ibrahim, who heads the Jumhooree Party (JP) and lost his bid for the presidency in 2013, was accused of leading a failed bid in March to impeach Speaker Abdulla Maseeh, a close ally of Mr. Yameen.

He was convicted on Friday of bribing lawmakers to impeach the Speaker and sentenced to 38 months in jail. The guilty verdict also disqualifies Mr. Ibrahim, 65, from holding a seat in Parliament.

Fighting Yameen

The JP is one of four parties in the archipelago’s Opposition coalition that wants to defeat Mr. Yameen at elections next year and sees the impeachment of the Speaker as a first step to taking control of Parliament to ensure free and fair polls.

The coalition, led by former President Mohamed Nasheed, who also heads Maldivian Democratic Party from London, condemned the court’s decision.