Gasim's biography claims Saudi Prince gave money to Yameen; the ex-president responds
While many pages have been dedicated to narrating Gasim's political life, the biography also contains numerous accounts of his interactions with various political figures. As the biography shares notable events from Gasim's long political history, there are also matters among them that have greatly captured public attention.
Former President Abdulla Yameen (L) and Gasim Ibrahim (C)
The biography of Gasim Ibrahim, Member of Parliament for Maamigili constituency and renowned business tycoon, was released on 10 February 2025. While it narrates many pages of Gasim’s political life, the biography also contains numerous stories about various political figures. Among the notable events from Gasim’s long political history shared in the biography, there are some that have greatly captured public attention.
One of the most eye-catching stories is Gasim’s revelation about former President Abdulla Yameen being referred to as a friend by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. Gasim Ibrahim's biography states that the Crown Prince gave USD 20 million annually to President Yameen during his presidency. Gasim had shared some events that occurred when he accompanied former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on his trip to Saudi Arabia after being elected in 2018. He also noted that the trip made on 7 December 2018 was at the invitation of the Saudi Prince.
Further, Gasim said that during a dinner on that trip, the Saudi Prince mentioned that he considers Yameen a friend. Gasim also stated that after the meeting with the Saudi Prince, President Solih had said that the Prince mentioned giving President Yameen USD 20 million annually, outside of budget expenses. Gasim noted that this was aid given outside the budget. Gasim also mentioned that the Saudi Prince offered similar aid to Solih, though details of this are not included in the biography.
When RaajjeMV inquired about this, instead of giving a direct answer, President Yameen posed a question: "Do you believe the Saudi Prince would say such a thing in the presence of President Solih and Gasim?.”
When asked if he had any further comments on the matter, President Yameen said, "There's really nothing to say about that."
Similarly, the Prince said he would fund USD 20 million annually to Solih's administration as well. However, it's not clear from Gasim’s book whether this aid was actually provided. President Solih has not yet commented on the matter.
Although President Yameen failed to give a direct answer, his response is worth considering.
By asking whether such a conversation would happen in Gasim’s presence, Yameen implied his stance on the authenticity of the story.
President Yameen and Gasim have worked together in their political careers, including serving together in the People's Majlis.
Therefore, it is safe to believe that Yameen would think carefully before saying anything about Gasim. Even if he doesn't respond to the report now while it's fresh, given how things work in the political sphere, there will surely come a day when President Yameen will respond to Gasim’s statement. Until then, we'll leave it to our readers to interpret President Yameen's response.
