Former Vice President of Maldives Ahmed Adeeb was on Thursday convicted of masterminding a plot to kill President Yameen Abdul Gayoom in 2015 and was sentenced to 15 years in jail, the Associated Press reported. Two of his bodyguards too have been convicted and sent to 10 years in jail each for being involved in the plan, which involved detonating a bomb on Gayoom's speedboat .

On June 7, Adeeb was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing firearms in a different case.

Adeeb’s lawyers Moosa Siraj said they would appeal against Friday's verdict. Siraj told the Maldives Independent website that the court has asked him to keep mum on the trial. "The criminal court has barred me from calling the trial unfair, but we have concerns and intend to launch an appeal immediately," Siraj said.

Adeeb still faces two more charges – abuse of authority and corruption.

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The attack on Gayoom's speedboat took place in September 2015 when the President was travelling from the airport to the capital city of Male. Gayoom escaped unhurt though his wife, his aide and bodyguard were injured. Although the investigating officers claimed to have found no evidence of a bomb blast, the government termed it an assassination attempt and Adeeb was arrested on charges of plotting to kill the President.

In another case, a former chief prosecutor was sentenced on Thursday to 17 years in prison for conspiring to have Gayoom arrested with a fake warrant. Muhthaz Muhsin had been detained since February along with a judge for allegedly issuing an arrest warrant against Gayoom for corruption.