The Criminal Court has cancelled the hearing scheduled for Monday in the R. Fuhgiri corruption case, as requested by the defendant and former President, Abdulla Yameen, citing the worsening state of Covid-19 in Male' City.

The Criminal Court had revealed that Yameen had requested to cancel the hearing as it required him to be physically present at the Criminal Court; Yameen's representatives maintained that he was at a high-risk of complications from Covid-19, and cited their request to cancel the hearing was due to the worsening of the Covid-19 pandemic in Male' City.

The last hearing in this case was held on 31 January, where Former President Yameen plead not guilty to charges pressed against him in relation to corruption in the leasing of R. Fuhgiri.

Yameen is being charged with money laundering, in addition to accepting bribes while in public office in relation to the leasing of R. Fuhgiri for resort development in the MMPRC scandal. The charges detail that Yameen acquired $1,117,000 in bribes for leasing R. Fuhgiri, and that he had employed Krik Riza to help funnel the money through Sun Construction & Engineering Pvt. Ltd. and Sun Investments Pvt. Ltd. to launder the funds.

Representing Yameen at his plea hearing for this case, his legal counsel Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed announced that Yameen would plead not guilty to the charges being raised against him.

Dr. Jameel went on to say that the charges against Yameen were based on baseless accusations, and that some parties were using MMPRC investigations to as a ruse to target Yameen personally. Dr. Jameel added that Yameen was already serving a five-year sentence in relation to the MMPRC corruption scandal, and that none of the additional charges being raised against Yameen involved new allegations of any substance.

The cancelled hearing on Monday would have seen both parties present evidence in relation to their arguments prior to the commencement of criminal proceedings.

Yameen is already serving a five-year prison sentence in relation to the MMPRC Corruption scandal; he was convicted of money laundering after having embezzled and transferred to his personal account, USD one million from the acquisition cost reserved for the state in the leasing and development of GA. Vodumulaa as a resort.