Former Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ahmed Nazim has stated former President Abdulla Yameen used the funds embezzled from Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) to repay loans taken for his presidential campaign in 2013.
Nazim, who used to be a close associate of Yameen, made the statement while speaking as a witness in the trial of the money laundering and bribery charges pressed against the former president in relation to the lease of Aarah, Vaavu Atoll for resort development through MMPRC.
Speaking at the Criminal Court, former Deputy Speaker Nazim described former President Yameen as the main culprit behind the MMPRC corruption scandal, which saw the embezzlement of millions from state funds between 2014 and 2015. Nazim said the scandal began as means to repay the loans former President Yameen took for his 2013 presidential campaign. Nazim said former Vice President and Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb was the main accomplice of Yameen in the scandal, who was in charge of carrying the embezzled funds to Yameen’s residence. As such, Nazim revealed he personally witnessed Adeeb bringing in USD1 million in cash to Yameen.
Nazim further said he directly informed Yameen on the withdrawal of USD5 million from Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) through some MMPRC cheques. He said the case was brought to the attention of Yameen specifically because one of the beneficiaries of the funds was a businessperson who contributed to Yameen’s presidential campaign.
Nazim was implicated in a corruption case soon after a meeting with former President Yameen on April 28, 2014 regarding the embezzlement of funds through MMPRC. Nazim was accused of using illegal means to win government projects for a company co-owned by him, and sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Supreme Court in April 2015. His sentence was later overturned.