(Reuters) - Maldives police arrested an opposition leader on accusations of plotting to overthrow the government, they said on Friday, days after the opposition failed in a bid to impeach the speaker of parliament.

File Photo: Maldivian Jumhooree Party presidential candidate Qasim Ibrahim (2nd R) casts his vote at a polling station during the presidential elections in Male, November 9, 2013. REUTERS/Waheed Mohamed

Qasim Ibrahim, the leader of the Jumhooree Party and a former presidential candidate, was remanded for six days by a Male court. Denying the allegations, his lawyer said Qasim had acted lawfully.

The largely Muslim island chain with a population of 400,000 and a reputation as a tourist paradise has been mired in political unrest for years.

The impeachment motion against Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed, a close ally of President Abdulla Yameen, was defeated by 48 votes to zero in parliament after all opposition lawmakers walked out in protest at their colleagues’ expulsion from the chamber for unruly behavior.

A second impeachment vote, against the deputy speaker, is scheduled for Monday.

Police in their charge sheet said Qasim was arrested for allegedly of bribing and “undue influencing of parliament members and state security forces” in the impeachment vote against the speaker.

Police also cited “unlawful incitement to the removal, from office, of the legitimate government”.

Hussein Shameem, Qasim’s lawyer, said his client was an opposition whip and was by law entitled to try to convince lawmakers to vote a certain way.

“He has not used undue influence and no unlawful activities were done. He acted within the law,” Shameem told Reuters.

Qasim, a tourism tycoon who ran for the presidency in 2013, backed Yameen in the second round of the poll against former president Mohamed Nasheed. Yameen won by a slim margin.

After he and Yameen fell out, Qasim formed an opposition coalition along with former presidents Nasheed and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, a half brother of Yameen.

The Maldives has been plagued by unrest since Nasheed, its first democratically elected leader, was ousted in disputed circumstances in 2012. He was later sentenced to 13 years in jail on terrorism charges after a widely criticized trial and now lives in exile.

Many potential challengers to Yameen in elections due in 2018 have been arrested for alleged security offences. The opposition alleges his administration is trying to cover up corruption including money laundering.

The government denies this and says it does not influence law enforcement.

Significant numbers of radicalized Maldives youths have enlisted to fight for Islamic State in the Middle East.</s>The last free opposition leader in the Maldives has been arrested as part of a major government crackdown on rival politicians who narrowly failed to seize control of parliament in the honeymoon islands.

Qasim Ibrahim, who ran for president in 2013 and currently heads the Jumhooree Party (JP), was one of four signatories of an opposition unity deal aimed at toppling President Abdulla Yameen.

The bid failed after Yameen ordered troops to remove the dissenting MPs from the floor of parliament, causing chaotic scenes and prompting the US to urge the Maldives to restore faith in democracy.

Ibrahim was taken into custody on Thursday night after police questioned him about allegations he bribed legislators, according to a coalition of dissidents known as the Maldives United Opposition (MUO).

"With the arrest of Qasim Ibrahim, every opposition leader in the Maldives has now been arrested and is under some form of detention," the MUO said in a statement.

There was no immediate reaction from the Maldives government, but the president's office repeated a statement denying accusations of intimidation.

Since coming to power, President Yameen has presided over a general crackdown on political dissent in the nation of 340,000 that has raised fears over the country's stability and dented its image as a tourism paradise.

In 2015, former leader Mohamed Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison on terrorism charges that were widely seen as politically motivated.

Nasheed, who heads the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party from London where he lives in exile, became the country's first democratically elected president in 2008, but was narrowly defeated by Yameen in a controversial 2013 election run-off.

He was slapped with fresh terrorism charges last week after leading the opposition move in parliament remotely.

The new charges against him stemmed from when Yameen was briefly detained in 2010, allegedly under orders from Nasheed, who was president at the time.

Nasheed, who has pledged to return to the honeymoon islands to contest the 2018 election, said last month's incident in parliament exposed the government's shaky majority.</s>In this Nov. 8, 2013 file photo, Jumhooree Party leader and Presidential candidate Qasim Ibrahim waves to supporters during an election campaign rally in Male, Maldives. Police in the Maldives have arrested the opposition party leader on a charge of plotting to overthrow the government, a move the joint opposition condemned on Friday, as intensifying the crackdown on political opponents. | Photo Credit: AP

Police in the Maldives have arrested an opposition party leader on a charge of plotting to overthrow the government, a move the joint opposition condemned on Friday as intensifying a crackdown on political opponents.

Jumhooree Party leader and lawmaker Qasim Ibrahim had signed an agreement with others last month to try to restore democracy in the archipelago nation, and the joint opposition said his arrest was aimed at obstructing the work of the alliance, which it said has threatened the power of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

Mr. Qasim was arrested on Thursday evening on the charges of “attempting to influence no confidence motions against the Speaker of Parliament” and “plotting to overthrow the government,” according to the joint opposition’s statement.

The arrest of the tourism tycoon came days after the government defeated a no-confidence motion against the speaker and thereby prevented the opposition bid to take control of Parliament.

The opposition says the charges are “trumped-up” and demonstrate the willingness of Gayoom’s government to “subvert state institutions in order to pursue and persecute anyone to who attempts to hold him accountable.”

Spokesmen for the government and for police did not answer phone calls on Friday seeking comment.

The opposition alliance includes the Maldives’ first democratically elected leader Mohamed Nasheed, its former strongman leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Qasim and another political party.

Mr. Yameen is a half-brother of Mr. Maumoon and became President in 2013 by defeating Nasheed. Since then he has been accused of using the judiciary, police and bureaucracy to crack down on opponents.

Mr. Nasheed, a vice president, a defense minister and another political party leader have been given lengthy prison sentences after trials on terrorism charges that were criticized for lack of due process.

The government also tightly controls public gatherings and recently enacted an anti-defamation law with hefty fines and jail terms for journalists and social media users.</s>Maldives police have arrested a leader of opposition political party on a charge of plotting to overthrow the government.

A joint opposition statement said Jumhooree Party leader and lawmaker Qasim Ibrahim was arrested Thursday evening on the charges of "attempting to influence no confidence motions against the Speaker of Parliament" and "plotting to overthrow the government."

The arrest comes days after the government defeated a no-confidence motion against the speaker and thereby prevented the opposition bid to take control of Parliament.

The opposition says the charges are "trumped-up" and demonstrate the willingness of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom's government to "subvert state institutions in order to pursue and persecute anyone to who attempts to hold him accountable."</s>COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Police in the Maldives have arrested an opposition party leader on a charge of plotting to overthrow the government, a move the joint opposition condemned Friday as intensifying a crackdown on political opponents.

Jumhooree Party leader and lawmaker Qasim Ibrahim had signed an agreement with others last month to try to restore democracy in the archipelago nation, and the joint opposition said his arrest was aimed at obstructing the work of the alliance, which it said has threatened the power of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

Qasim was arrested Thursday evening on the charges of “attempting to influence no confidence motions against the Speaker of Parliament” and “plotting to overthrow the government,” according to the joint opposition’s statement.

The arrest of the tourism tycoon came days after the government defeated a no-confidence motion against the speaker and thereby prevented the opposition bid to take control of Parliament.

The opposition says the charges are “trumped-up” and demonstrate the willingness of Gayoom’s government to “subvert state institutions in order to pursue and persecute anyone to who attempts to hold him accountable.”

Spokesmen for the government and for police did not answer phone calls Friday seeking comment.

The opposition alliance includes the Maldives’ first democratically elected leader Mohamed Nasheed, its former strongman leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Qasim and another political party.

Yameen is a half-brother of Maumoon and became president in 2013 by defeating Nasheed. Since then he has been accused of using the judiciary, police and bureaucracy to crack down on opponents.

Nasheed, a vice president, a defense minister and another political party leader have been given lengthy prison sentences after trials on terrorism charges that were criticized for lack of due process.

The government also tightly controls public gatherings and recently enacted an anti-defamation law with hefty fines and jail terms for journalists and social media users.</s>REUTERS: Police in the Indian Ocean island nation of the Maldives arrested an opposition leader for "plotting to overthrow the government", police said on Friday, days after the opposition's failed bid to oust the speaker and take control of parliament.

The arrest of Qasim Ibrahim, the leader of Jumhooree Party, comes ahead of another impeachment vote against the deputy speaker scheduled for Monday.

The impeachment motion against Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed, a close ally of President Abdulla Yameen, was defeated by 48 votes to none in parliament after all opposition lawmakers walked out in protest at their colleagues' expulsion from the chamber for unruly behaviour.

The largely Muslim island chain with a population of 400,000 and a reputation as a tourist paradise has been mired in political unrest for years. Significant numbers of radicalised Maldives youths have also enlisted to fight for Islamic State militants in the Middle East.

Police in their charge sheet said Qasim was arrested for his alleged role of bribing and "undue influencing of parliament members and state security forces" in the impeachment vote against the speaker.

Police also said his arrest was due to his attempt of "unlawful incitement to the removal, from office, of the legitimate government".

Hussein Shameem, Qasim's lawyer, said his client was an opposition whip and by law he can try to convince members at a vote.

"He has not used undue influence and no unlawful activities were done. He acted within the law," Shameem told Reuters.

Qasim, a tourism tycoon and a 2013 presidential candidate, backed Yameen in the second round of the poll against former president Mohamed Nasheed. Yameen won by a slim margin.

Later he and Yameen fell apart and he formed an opposition coalition along with former presidents Nasheed and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, a half brother of Yameen.

The Maldives has suffered from unrest since Nasheed, its first democratically elected leader, was ousted in disputed circumstances in 2012. He was later sentenced to 13 years in jail on terrorism charges after a widely denounced trial and now lives in exile.

Most of Yameen's opponents who might challenge him in a 2018 election have been arrested for alleged security offences. The opposition alleges his administration is trying to cover up corruption including money laundering.

The government denies this and says it does not influence law enforcement.</s>Police in the Maldives have arrested an opposition party leader on a charge of plotting to overthrow the government and remanded him for six days, a move the joint opposition condemned Friday as intensifying a crackdown on political opponents. Jumhooree Party leader and lawmaker Qasim Ibrahim had signed an agreement with others last month to try to restore democracy in the archipelago nation, and the joint opposition said his arrest was aimed at obstructing the work of the alliance, which it said has threatened the power of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

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The Maldives Police Service arrests the country's opposition leader, Qasim Ibrahim, after his party's failed bid to impeach the Speaker of the People's Majlis.