AG office prepares case against ex-president, over failure to pay fine by deadline

The Attorney General’s Office has begun work to seek the USD five million owed to the state by incarcerated former president Abdulla Yameen, upon his failure to follow the Criminal Court’s conviction.

The office revealed that preparations are underway to seek charges against the jailed ex-president, at the Civil Court, as Yameen failed to pay the amount issued as a fine under the Criminal Court’s conviction during November.

As such, the office is currently working to prepare the required documents to file the case at the Civil Court.

On November 28, 2019, the Criminal Court convicted Yameen on money-laundering charges, proven through a long-drawn out trial. The ex-president was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay USD five million owed to the state, within six months.

The payment was ordered to be made at the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA).

Following this, Yameen made an appeal at the High Court, which is currently at the last stage. The last hearing in the case was held on Wednesday.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Yameen asserted that the money – USD five million – is still with his administration’s Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, having claimed that Adeeb and former Fisheries Minister, Mohamed Shainee had received the funds.

Yameen did not specify how the USD five million was acquired.

However, reports had it then, that Adeeb and Shainee had in fact gone to receive the USD 15 million paid in advance for the Faafu atoll leasing deal made with the royal family of Saudi Arabia.

The USD one million acquired as an acquisition cost for Vodamulaa island in Gaaf Alif atoll was deposited to Yameen’s private account. In connection to recent cases of money-laundering allegations against the former, the state is currently working to retrieve an additional MVR 591 million from the ex-president.