The Criminal Court has scheduled a hearing over 11 charges against Abdulla Ziyath, former head of the state-run Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, for Sunday.

The hearing has been scheduled for 10:00 AM. All the charges for which the hearing is to be held have to do with embezzlement.

Prosecutors have alleged that Ziyath is responsible for an unaccounted for amount of USD 23.1 million. This makes up proceedings the state should have recieved for its leasing of 13 islands and two lagoons, through the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation.

In August last year, prosecutors put forth a total of 25 cases of graft and embezzlement against Ziyath while and nine cases of abusing power against jailed ex-Vice President Ahmed Adeeb.

These allegations are in relation to over 58 islands and lagoons which were reportedly leased unlawfully by the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation during Ziyath’s time at its helm. The Anti-Corruption Commission had investigated the matter and forwarded it to the police.