According to Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed's office,

the note was issued to the High Commissioner to protest "harbouring a fugitive in the embassy premise from where Nasheed is inciting and calling for unrest and violence in the streets". 45-year-old Nasheed, took refuge in the Mission on February 13 to evade arrest warrant issued by a court in a case concerning the detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court during his Presidency in January last year. Waheed's Press Secretary Masood Imad said the arrest warrant would expire at 4 pm on Wednesday. "The police have been directed by the Court to bring Nasheed before it. The warrant would expire at 4 PM Wednesday," he said. If Nasheed is found guilty in the case, he could be barred from standing in a presidential election that is scheduled for September 7. His party - Maldivian Democratic Party - says the trial is an attempt to exclude him from the contest and has challenged the court's legitimacy. In another development, the President of the Elections Commission (EC) Fuad Thaufeeq said it was deeply concerning to see the presidential candidate of the largest political party seeking refuge from a diplomatic office. Thaufeeq said Nasheed was a former President and ought to receive the privileges entitled to a former president as stipulated in the law and stressed that he should get a fair trial and should not be politically motivated. "Firstly, Nasheed is a former president, secondly he a presidential candidate of a political party. Thirdly, he represents the largest political party in the country. Each of these factors carries significant weight," Thaufeeq said. He said the Elections Commission would do everything it could to find a solution for all the parties involved, including the former president. The President of the Elections Commission warned that if Nasheed's trial proved to be a tool to bar him from contesting the scheduled presidential elections, it would cast doubt over the integrity of the election.