Yameen’s trial: court to continue with witness testimonies on Thursday
A hearing has been scheduled for 9:30am on Thursday
Former President Abdulla Yameen
Criminal Court will hear the state’s witnesses in the money laundering trial against former President Abdulla Yameen, on Thursday.
A hearing has been scheduled for 9:30am.
Yameen is accused of laundering USD one million through the state-owned Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), through SoF, during his presidency. He is also accused of using the funds for financial gain, despite being ordered to transfer it to an escrow account under an agreement with the anti-corruption watchdog.
Media official at the Department of Judicial Administration, Faisal Adam confirmed to RaajjeMV that the hearing will be broadcast live, as per the previous hearings in the case.
While two hearings have been aired on TV thus far, the court began hearing the state’s witnesses at the last one.
While Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) President Muavviz Rasheed took the witnesses stand at the hearing held on August 4, he will continue his testimony at Thursday’s hearing as well.
Presiding Judge Ahmed Hailam decided to question Muavviz regarding one of the documentary evidences submitted by the state – ACC’s investigative report in the case- at the next hearing, after the defence said that they were not provided a copy of this.
In addition to Muavviz, the state has submitted seven other witnesses to prove Yameen’s crimes. They are; former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, former ACC President Hassan Luthufee, former MMPRC managing director Abdulla Ziyath, former Toursim Minister Moosa Zameer, Bank of Maldives (BML) board members Mohamed Shareef and Mohamed Luvaiz, as well as a Mohamed Waseem.
As documentary evidence the state submitted ACC’s report, MMPRC audit report, Yameen’s statement to ACC, transaction cheques and slips, as well as bank statements and the former president’s financial records.
The defence submitted two documentary evidence and one witness at the last hearing. As such, Yameen’s legal team named former governor of the Maldives Monetary Authority Azeem Adam as a witness, as submitted part of a press release from MMA -which was shown in Al Jazeera’s investigative documentary ‘Stealing Paradise’- and a Civil Court order on SoF regarding its transactions with MMPRC.
