Abdulla Yameen, the former president of the Maldives, was found guilty of corruption and money laundering charges relating to collecting bribes from a private company on Sunday and was given an 11-year prison sentence as well as a $5 million fine by the country’s criminal court.

Any misbehavior by Yameen has been refuted.

Despite having lost his position of authority in 2018, he has been nominated by the Progressive Party of the Maldives to run for president in the 2023 election.

Already in 2019 he was sentenced to five years in jail and fined $5 million in 2019 for embezzling $1 million in state funds, which the prosecution said was acquired through the lease of resort development rights.

After his sentencing, Yameen was shifted to house arrest in 2020 and was freed months later.

Since his release, Yameen, the half-brother of former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has returned to active politics with a campaign against Indian influence in Maldives, raising concerns in New Delhi.

Situated close to strategic shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, Maldives is a focal point for competition between India and China over influence in the region.