Former President Abdulla Yameen has presented 18 pieces of evidence for the money laundering and bribery charges pressed against him in relation to the lease of Aarah, Vaavu Atoll for tourism development.
Former President Yameen presented seven witnesses and 11 documents in his defence at the hearing held by the Criminal Court of the Maldives. Also at the hearing, former Parliamentarian Yoosuf Naeem, who has been charged with bribery, presented three witnesses and 10 documents to the court.
Presiding Judge Ahmed Shakeel concluded the hearing after accepting former President Yameen’s request to hold a hearing next month to provide details on the evidence presented by the defence.
Former President Yameen is accused of accepting USD1 million as a bribe during the lease of Aarah through Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) and laundering the money. Yoosuf Naeem has also been charged with bribery in the lease of Aarah.
Aarah, which is located near Thinadhoo in Vaavu Atoll, had been leased to a private company when it was taken back and handed over to Felidhoo Island Council in 2015. The island was later handed over to a company called 2G Maldives, before leasing the island again to a foreign company. The embezzlement of funds acquired from the lease of Aarah was uncovered during the investigation of the corruption scandal of MMPRC.
Former President Yameen was freed late last year from a five-year prison sentence after the Supreme Court of the Maldives overturned the decision by the Criminal Court to convict Yameen of laundering USD1 million received as the acquisition cost for the lease of Vodamula, Gaafu Alifu Atoll for resort development through MMPRC. However, he is also currently under trial for another case of money laundering and accepting USD1.1 million in bribes for the lease of Fuhgiri, Raa Atoll, for resort development through MMPRC.