Ex-President Yameen asks High Court to overturn account freeze

Former President Abdulla Yameen has filed a case at the High Court, asking that a recent order to freeze two of his bank accounts be overturned.

The Criminal Court ordered a freeze on two bank accounts linked to him earlier in November. The freeze was ordered on accounts linked to him at the national Bank of Maldives and the Maldives Islamic Bank.

RaajjeMV understands that the freeze has to do with an ongoing investigation into illicit transactions made through these accounts.

The Maldives Police Service on Thursday, 13th December, announced that they are investigating allegations against him and that he has been summoned for interrogation. He was questioned at the police headquarters that following Saturday.

Officers are investigating how large amounts of money was deposited at an account he declared at the Elections Commission as the one used for campaign expenses.

While the former president maintains that any allegations of corruption and graft against him are false and cannot be proven, a case of MVR 22.5 million being deposited to an account linked to him ahead of September’s polls have also surfaced.

Yameen’s former deputy, ex-Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, has also said that he masterminded the embezzlement of MVR 1.2 billion through the state-run Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, which illicitly funneled funds from islands and lagoons leased for tourism development.

The Anti-Corruption Commission has found that funds embezzled from the company has been deposited to accounts linked to 155 different individuals.