Supreme Court of the Maldives has raised questions over the request of the state for a court order to freeze the bank accounts of former President Abdulla Yameen.
The Criminal Court of the Maldives had ordered to freeze Yameen’s bank accounts in relation to the embezzlement and money laundering charges pressed against him. However, the High Court of the Maldives overturned the ruling and ordered to release the accounts. The order was subsequently appealed at the Supreme Court by the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO).
During the appeal hearing, the judges overseeing the case at the Supreme Court raised several questions to the state over the request to freeze Yameen’s bank accounts. In this regard, the judges questioned why there was a request to freeze multiple accounts, despite the charges being pressed in relation a specific transaction. In response, the state attorneys said the investigation had revealed the former president had opened new accounts to invest the funds embezzled through Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).
During the hearing, the judges also raised questions to the investigation officers of Maldives Police Service (MPS) involved in the case. As such, the judges asked why the state had requested to freeze more than USD 1 million from Yameen’s bank accounts, despite knowing the total amount which must be returned to the state is USD 1 million. In response, the investigation officers said they had originally requested to freeze the funds in the accounts to clarify whether the funds belong to the state, adding the specific amount which must be returned was not confirmed when the original request was submitted.
Speaking at the hearing, former President Yameen said MPS had declared the funds in his account did not match his income based on the assumption that his only source of income was his salary. However, he noted he has been earning an income through property rent since 1993.
Concluding the hearing, the judges announced another hearing will be held after the state attorneys provide the necessary documents to clarify the amount owed to the state by the former president and the evidence which it was based on.