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male [Maldives]December 26 (ANI): A Maldivian court has found former President Abdullah Yameen guilty of corruption and money laundering, sentenced him to 11 years in prison and fined him US$5 million, Maldivian newspaper Avas reported.
The Criminal Court found Yameen guilty in sentencing, with Chief Justice Ahmed Shakeel saying it was doubtful that documents showing money was deposited from Yoosuf Naeem’s account into Yameen’s personal account.
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Former President Yameen is accused of stealing $1 million from state coffers in the country’s biggest-ever corruption scandal, Ahwas reported.
Yameen abused his position by taking $1 million from a private company to facilitate the sale of Aarah for resort development.
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According to the charges, Yameen accepted a $1 million bribe from former congressman Yoosuf Naeem, who is on trial with Yameen on bribery charges. The trial began at the Criminal Court on January 2 and the trial hearing concluded on November 30, Avas reported.
Because Yameen was head of state at the time of the crime, the prosecution sought the maximum sentence for the conviction. Prosecutors are asking for an 11-year prison sentence with a sixfold increase in the fine. However, since the law stipulates that the fine can be up to five times the fine, the state requires that the maximum amount be imposed by law.
The verdict also found Yoosuf Naeem guilty of bribery, with prosecutors seeking the maximum sentence for the former congressman.
The charges against Yameen relate to claims that he received at least US$1 million through SOF Private Limited, a private company linked to his former deputy, which was used to launder the state-owned Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) of tourism revenue, Al Jazeera reported.
The money was deposited into the personal bank account of the former president of the Islamic Bank of Maldives in October 2015.
Lawyers for President Yameen and Yoosuf Naeem have requested an opinion on the verdict within ten days. However, the judge adjourned the court shortly after announcing that the hearing would resume at 2:00 p.m. to decide on sentencing. He refused to provide the time requested by the defendant, Avas reported.
Yameen was previously convicted in November 2019 of using a private company to embezzle up to $1 million in government funds following his presidential term from 2013 to 2018. However, later, in 2021, the Supreme Court reversed the five-year sentence.
Yameen appealed the previous court ruling, which was annulled, in which he pointed to the lack of verified links between private companies and their bank accounts, local media Sun Online reported. (Arnie)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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