The Criminal Court of the Maldives has denied the request from the defence to issue a protective order on some of the evidence to be presented at the trial involving bribery and money laundering charges filed against former President Abdulla Yameen for the lease of Fuhgiri, Raa Atoll, through the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).
At the latest hearing, Ahmed Krik Riza, Sun Investment Private Limited, and Sun Construction Engineering Private Limited requested that the judge issue a protective order on some of the evidence. However, presiding Judge Ali Nadheem denied the request as the defence failed to give a compelling reason as to why the evidence should not be disclosed to the state. Riza requested a protective order on the audio recording between him and former Assistant Commissioner of Police Mohamed Riyaz. The companies requested the order on a statement issued by the owner, Parliamentarian Ahmed Siyam Mohamed, and directives and orders given by the directors and employees.
The state prosecutors also requested protective orders on some of the evidence. Instead, the judge decided to remove any personal or confidential information before submitting the evidence to the defence.
Additionally, the judge decided to hold three hearings for opening statements, with the statements of the state and the companies to be heard on March 9. The statement of Riza’s defence will be heard on March 12, while the statement of former President Yameen’s defence will be held on March 13. Afterwards, hearings will be held on March 16, 20, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 to present the evidence.
Former President Yameen is charged with seeking a bribe of USD1.3 million to lease Fuhgiri to City Island Holdings Limited, which was facilitated by Ahmed Krik Riza. The state accused Yameen of laundering USD1.1 million of the bribe through Sun Investment and Sun Construction Engineering. He is already serving an 11-year prison sentence after being found guilty of charges of money laundering and accepting bribes in relation to the lease of Aarah, Vaavu Atoll, for resort development through MMPRC.