Former Vice-President of Maldives Ahmed Adeeb was convicted of terrorism and sentenced to 10 years in jail by the country's Criminal Court on Monday for possessing firearms, reported The Hindu. Defence lawyer Moosa Siraj has labelled the trial unfair and said he will appeal the verdict in a higher court. “Adeeb expected this verdict, he was smiling when the verdict was read out,” Siraj was quoted as saying by a Maldivian website.

President Yameen Abdul Gayoom has been cracking down on alleged terrorism since he was elected in 2013. Adeeb is the fourth high-profile politician to be jailed during Gayoom's tenure. The others are former President Mohamed Nasheed, former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim and head of a political party Sheik Imran Abdulla. Nasheed has received asylum in the United Kingdom.

Adeeb has not yet been charged for trying to assassinate Gayoom after an explosion hit the presidential speedboat last year.