Former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb has stated that former President Abdulla Yameen had instructed him to lease Aarah, Vaavu Atoll, at a lower price to a specific party. He made the statement while giving his testimony at the latest hearing of the trial held on September 6.
Former President Yameen is accused of accepting USD1 million as a bribe during the lease of Aarah through the 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.
During the latest hearing, testimonies were taken from key witnesses former Vice President Adeeb and former Managing Director of MMPRC Abdulla Ziyath. Giving his testimony, Adeeb said that negotiations for the lease of Aarah began after former Parliamentarian Naeem said he knew people who would invest in the island's development. He said that he told Naeem that he had no say in Aarah, as the island is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. He said that Yameen called him to instruct him to transfer Aarah to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Tourism, after which the island was transferred following the approval of the National Economic Council under the President's Office.
Furthermore, Adeeb said that the price of Aarah was initially set at USD5 million but that Yameen had ordered for Aarah to be leased at USD3 million to a company owned by Naeem. He said that the lease agreement was signed after the price was further reduced to USD2 million. He added that Naeem had told him that Yameen received USD1 million from the deal. He further said that Yameen had given him instructions to conduct his business outside of the established rules and regulations as well as to take funds from MMPRC and influence the decisions of the economic council.
At the hearing, Yameen's defence team requested the court to present audio evidence. The presiding judge denied the request to play the audio evidence but allowed the defence to question the witnesses regarding it. The judge also scheduled a hearing for September 7 for the defence to present their evidence.