Hearing cancelled once more as ex-Pres. Yaameen is at high risk for Covid-19
This is a second time a hearing in this case has been cancelled with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic cited as a reason
Former president Yaameen
The Criminal Court has cancelled the hearing scheduled for Sunday in the R. Fuhgiri corruption case, as requested by the defendant and former president, Abdulla Yaameen, as he is at a high-risk from complications of Covid-19.
The last hearing in this case was held on 31 January, where former president Yaameen plead not guilty to charges pressed against him in relation to corruption in the leasing of R. Fuhgiri. A hearing scheduled for this case was cancelled once before on 14 February at the request of Yaameen.
Yaameen is being charged with money laundering, in addition to accepting bribes while in public office in relation to the leasing of R. Fuhgiri for resort development in the MMPRC scandal. The charges detail that Yaameen acquired $1,117,000 in bribes for leasing R. Fuhgiri, and that he had employed Krik Riza to help funnel the money through Sun Construction & Engineering Pvt. Ltd. and Sun Investments Pvt. Ltd. to launder the funds.
Yaameen is already serving a five-year prison sentence in relation to the MMPRC Corruption scandal; he was convicted of money laundering after having embezzled and transferred to his personal account, USD one million from the acquisition cost reserved for the state in the leasing and development of GA. Vodumulaa as a resort.
The Prosecutor General's Office have forwarded additional charges against Yaameen, for having the acquisition cost of Aarah island in Vaavu atoll, which had been sold for tourism development, transferred to his own personal account. The investigation report details that this amounts to MVR 1 million, and Yaameen faces charges of bribery and money laundering in court.
Aarah, located near Thinadhoo island of Vaavu atoll, is an island frequented by picnic-goers in the region. The island had been previously leased to a company partially owned Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, former leader of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP). The island was taken from Thasmeen in August 2015, and ownership was transferred to former member of parliament for Felidhoo constituency Yoosuf Naeem in September 2015.
Yoosuf Naeem, who is a close known associate of former president Yaameen, had sold the island to a foreign company within one month, and had transferred USD 1 million received as the acquisition cost of the island to Yaameen's personal bank account at HSBC.
While former president Yaameen's status as high-risk for Covid-19 has been the opposition's most recent stance in calling to release him from prison, he had in April received the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to immunize against the infection. While the infection has surged in Male' City over the past month to unprecedented levels, Raajje MV had learned that former president Yaameen received the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine from ADK Hospital.
