Criminal Court of Maldives has found former President Abdulla Yameen guilty of money laundering and sentenced him for 5 years of imprisonment with a fine of USD 5 million.
The judge ruled former President Yameen is guilty of laundering USD 1 million from Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) via SOF Private Limited. Yameen was found guilty of laundering the state money for financial gain. The funds from MMPRC were deposited to a bank account at Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB) owned by the former president.
Prosecutor General's Office pressed criminal charges against Yameen on money laundering after a statement from Maldives Police Service, accusing the former president of embezzlement and giving false statements to mislead the investigation.
The court hearing was resumed following the suspension of Chief Judge of Criminal Court Ahmed Hailam who was initially presiding over the case. Hailam was suspended by Judicial Service Commission (JSC) until the completion of the investigation to the disciplinary case filed against him depicting President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed in chains with the perpetrators of the November 3, 1988 coup attempt.
Acting Chief Judge Ali Rasheed read the verdict although the defence attorneys requested the court to postpone the sentence to Sunday, after the weekend.
Supporters of Yameen gathered around the court area to protest over the trial and chanted slogans calling for his release.