Former Managing Director of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) Abdulla Ziyath has stated that former President Abdulla Yameen received USD1 million for the sale of Aarah, Vaavu Atoll. He made the statement while giving his testimony at the latest hearing of the trial held on September 6.
During the hearing, Ziyath said that former President Yameen had requested that Aarah be leased to then-Parliamentarian Yoosuf Naeem and that he was told to continue with the deal as an intermediary as then-Minister of Tourism Ahmed Adeeb. He said that the agreement was made with Naeem’s company 2G Private Limited in 2015 and that the deal was signed by Adeeb, Naeem, an Italian businessman, and witnesses.
Furthermore, Ziyath said that the initial agreement called for a price of USD5 million but was reduced to USD3 million on the instructions given by Yameen. He said that the price was further reduced in the final agreement. He added that Naeem had told him that Yameen was pleased with the agreement and that the former president had received USD1 million for the sale.
Former President Yamen’s defence team questioned Ziyath on the rules and regulations which were being followed to lease islands at the time. Responding to the questions, Ziyath said that the initial agreement had followed the established regulations and formulas but that the later agreements only followed Yameen’s instructions.
Additionally, Ziyath said that he did not make a deal with the state prosecutors to give the testimony in exchange for a reduced sentence and that he is continuing to serve the initial prison sentence over corruption regarding the MMPRC case.