Supreme Court of the Maldives has rejected former President Abdulla Yameen's request to release him on bail.
At the appeal hearing, Supreme Court cited the Maldives Criminal Procedure Act as saying individuals can only be released on bail before they are convicted of a crime and they lose the right after a conviction. Supreme Court also rejected Yameen's request to postpone the prison sentence against him but accepted his request to postpone the implementation of the USD 5 million fine until the court concludes the appeal case. The court concluded the appeal hearing after refusing to hear two new witnesses proposed by Yameen since the former president is allowed to present the witnesses at the lower courts.
The former president had proposed former parliamentarians Mohamed Ismail and Mohamed Shahid as new witnesses in his case in order to prove former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb had his funds. In 2019, the Criminal Court of the Maldives sentenced Yameen to five years in prison with a fine of USD 5 million, after he was found guilty of the money laundering charges the state had pressed against him. Yameen was found guilty of laundering USD 1 million received as the acquisition cost for the lease of Vodamula, Gaafu Alifu Atoll, for resort development through Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).
Furthermore, Yameen is currently undergoing two more trials on charges related to corruption, bribery, and money laundering. As such, Yameen has been charged with using his influence as the president to seek a bribe of USD 1.1 million during the lease of Fuhgiri, Raa Atoll for resort development through MMPRC, and laundering the money.
He has also been charged over the embezzlement of USD 1 million during the lease of Aarah, Vaavu Atoll for resort development through MMPRC.