The Criminal Court of the Maldives has rejected the documents submitted in the money laundering and bribery case against Former President Abdulla Yameen in relation to the lease of Aarah in Vaavu Atoll for tourism development. The court rejected documents submitted by both sides after they failed to submit the necessary documents within the deadline.
On April 11, the Criminal Court allowed both sides to submit their documents within 15 days. However, the state and defence attorneys submitted the documents earlier this month, after the deadline which expired on April 27. The attorneys had excluded the government holidays when counting down to the deadline, but presiding Judge Ahmed Shakeel said that the deadline had included the holidays. The judge had also rejected the documents submitted by former Parliamentarian Yoosuf Naeem's attorneys, as they had also submitted the documents after the deadline.
At the hearing, Judge Shakeel decided to conduct the hearing on June 2 in accordance with civil procedures, as the attorneys failed to submit the necessary documents within the deadline. He also accepted Yameen’s request to livestream the hearings.
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. Former Parliamentarian Yoosuf Naeem has also been charged with bribery in the lease of Aarah.
Aarah 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.