Verdict hearing in ex-president's money laundering trial set for 28 November

The verdict hearing in former President Abdulla Yameen’s money laundering trial has been set for this month.

While the first hearing held with the new five-judge bench was held on Sunday, it concluded the hearing after announcing that a verdict will be issued on November 28.

A verdict in the trial was to be issued on November 5, but the hearing was cancelled following the suspension of the presiding judge.

The court decided to form the five judges’ bench following a request from the defence.

At Sunday’s hearing, the defence had first requested to restart the trial from the beginning. However, the court decided to proceed from the last hearing, after highlighting that witness testimonies have already been taken in the trial.

Interim chief judge, Ali Rasheed said that all related documents were presented to the judges after being appointed to the bench, and gave both parties opportunity to highlight any additional issues.

While the prosecutors noted that the state has nothing to add, the defence once again had a request. This time they requested the interim chief judge to recuse himself from the case, claiming that he had shared details of the case in an interview to RaajjeTV.

Yameen’s lawyer said that they have lost confidence in the Judge Rasheed, and that him being on the bench will be an obstacle to a free and fair trial.

The former president had requested to speak after, and said that the trial has been “unfair” from the very start and that he was even jailed. He also expressed concern over his bank accounts still being frozen, adding that this had been a big loss for him.

Following the request, the court went to a 15-minute break to deliberate on the matter.

After discussions, Judge Rasheed stressed that he had not spoken to the media regarding the case, and that he had not violated the Judges’ Act or any of the country’s laws.

Hence, the court announced that there are no issues with the interim chief judge being on the bench.

The former President is accused of laundering USD one million through the state-owned Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), via a private company 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.