Criminal Court to order MCS to allow meetings between ex-pres. and legal team

The Criminal Court has decided to issue an order to Maldives Correctional Service (MCS), to arrange direct meetings for incarcerated former president Abdulla Yameen with his legal team, in connection to the two counts of charges on money-laundering and corruption against him in connection to the Fuggiri corruption case.

The trial in the new charges commenced on Sunday morning and presiding Judge Ahmed Shakeel revealed that the two counts of charges are major ones and that a large number of documents have been submitted to the judges’ bench in connection to them.

In light of this, the court believes it is important for Yameen to be able to meet with his legal team.

As such, the court will be issuing an order on MCS to do the needful, sometime on Sunday.

During the hearing, Yameen stressed that one and a half months had passed without meeting with his legal team, directly and accused the state of obstructing his right to meet with his legal team.

The jailed ex-president’s legal team reiterated this concern, adding that the MCS has been refusing to arrange meetings with their client.

In regards to this, the corrections authority had stated that within the period dated between June 28 and August 15, Yameen’s legal team had only requested a meeting with their client, only once, on August 4.

State prosecutors cited MCS having stressed that the legal team had not arrived in Maafushi island of Kaafu atoll when requested to obtain the required approval from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) under the set safety measures and guidelines against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Further, Yameen’s legal team had requested a meeting with their client on August 11, following which MCS had given approval to make the required arrangements on August 17.

Responding to this, Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed from Yameen’s legal team stressed that they had gone to the authority for approval with applications thrice and that MCS had turned them back.

The state is working to retrieve funds from the former president in connection to charges of money-laundering and corruption which were filed at the Criminal Court in connection to the leasing of Fuggiri in Raa atoll for resort development.

Yameen is accused of using undue influence of his position to accept and launder USD 1,117,000 from the state.

In a publication in connection to the money-laundering case, the Prosecutor General’s Office earlier revealed that the money was laundered through Sun Construction and Engineering Private Limited and Sun Investment Private Limited.

Yameen stands to face four years rising to a maximum of eight years if proven guilty of the corruption charges and stands a jail term between five to 15 years and a fine ranging between MVR 100,000 and a million if the money-laundering charges are proven. The highest amount estimated to be imposed as fines is MVR 5,585,000.

The Fuggiri corruption case was investigated through the collaborative efforts from the Maldives Police Service (MPS), Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the presidential inquiry commission on asset recovery.

Yameen was convicted on money laundering charges after having been found guilty for laundering USD one million through the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) via a private company Scores of Flair during his presidency, on November 2019. The USD one million acquired as an acquisition cost for Vodamulaa island in Gaaf Alif atoll was deposited to Yameen’s private account

He was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay USD five million to MIRA within six months which he failed to pay within the deadline. Work is underway to collect the amount.