Maldives says charge against ex-president cannot be dropped as demanded by US and UK

MALE, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The charge against Maldives former President Mohamed Nasheed could not be dropped as requested by the United States and the United Kingdom, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Masood Imad, a spokesman for the Maldives government said that through the embassies based in Colombo, requests have been made to drop the charge against Nasheed.

"The two embassies have asked the president not to charge Nasheed and let him contest the election," Masood said.

"We cannot interfere with the judiciary and its independence. It is judiciary which has filed the charge against former president," Masood said.

Nasheed is charged for unlawful arrest of the chief judge of the country's criminal court in January, and if found guilty Nasheed may face a jail sentence for three years.

Nasheed dismissed charges against him and stated that he was ready to face the trial.

"Don't withdraw the charge. I will not back down from this case. I did nothing unlawful during my tenure," he said at a public rally in the capital Male on Tuesday, Maldives media reported.

Immediately after the controversial power change from Nasheed to Mohamed Waheed in February 7, a warrant of arrest was issued for his arrest on the same charge, but it was not executed due to international pressure on the new regime.

The opposition, Maldivian Democratic Party led by Nasheed has called for snap poll to be held this year, but Waheed has ruled out any elections before July 2013, three months before the scheduled time.