This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Male, Maldives • Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed denied criminal charges on Tuesday that he illegally ordered the detention of a senior judge while in office.

The detention of the judge earlier this year triggered weeks of public protests that led to Nasheed's resignation. He has since insisted that he was ousted by a military coup.

Police arrested Nasheed on Monday after he twice ignored a court summons and defied an order prohibiting him from leaving the capital.

Hundreds of supporters protested outside the court Tuesday as police brought Nasheed inside. He told the court that the charges were politically motivated and designed to prevent him from running for the presidency next year.

He was released after the hearing because police had only been asked to produce him in court.

Nasheed became Maldives' first democratically elected president in 2008 after 30 years of autocratic rule. He accused the detained senior judge of political bias.

An inquiry commission has determined that his departure from the presidency was legal.