Britain on Tuesday urged the Maldives to usher in "democratic reforms" after the Indian Ocean archipelago's former president was arrested and then freed from detention.

Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said: "The British government is monitoring the situation in the Maldives with concern following the arrest and subsequent release of former President Nasheed. Along with our international partners, we call on the Maldivian authorities to ensure any trial is fair and transparent.”

Mohamed Nasheed, 45, who resigned in February in what he calls a coup, was arrested on Monday and taken before a three-judge bench after he had ignored two court summonses and violated an order to remain on the capital island Male.

Nasheed, who was freed Tuesday and has 25 days to answer allegations of abuse of power, is accused of giving an illegal order to the military to arrest a senior judge in January when he was the president.

If convicted, he could be jailed or banished to a remote island for three years — a punishment that could bar him from future elections.

The Maldives, better known as a luxury holiday destination, has been rocked by violent protests over the past year in a stand-off between Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and its opponents who are now in power.