Officers of the Maldives Correctional Services had attempted to have former vice president Ahmed Adheeb undergo an unnecessary medical procedure amid allegations of ongoing attempts on his life, his family has said.

Adeeb’s family said in a statement on Sunday that officers of the service had asked for the family’s signature to authorize the ‘questionable’ procedure, which they had refused to do.

Officers told the family that doctors would administer an injection to conduct a CT Scan, a procedure that Adeeb is not required to undergo. Adeeb had even been taken to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital.

In 2015, Dr. Mohamed Ashraf had advised Adeeb to undergo cancer screening. Dr. Ashraf had asked Adeeb to seek consultation with an oncologist and undergo a biopsy.

Adeeb’s brother, Mohamed Nadheem, had succumbed to cancerous cyst in 2008. The official from HRCM said that the doctor had advised that Adeeb receive treatment abroad.

Adeeb’s family had released a statement earlier in June claiming that he has developed an internal cyst, kidney stones, and vision impairment from glaucoma since his incarceration in 2015.

They have accused the state of negligence in failing to provide Adeeb with adequate medical care during his isolated incarceration at the prison in Dhoonidhoo Island while the police investigated allegations against him.

Adeeb was sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison for on allegations of attempting to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen and for his role in the heavily publicized case of graft involving the state-operated Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation.

After the matter became contentious, with it having been filed at the United Nations and with Amnesty International, Attorney General Mohamed Anil said that the state is refusing to grant Adeeb medical leave due to threat of flight.

Anil then said that the former vice president owes the state over USD 10 million, and that there is strong reason to believe that he may flee.