Ex-President Yameen presents himself for questioning

Former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom presented himself for questioning in answer to a summons sent by Maldives Police Service this Sunday afternoon.

Yameen was asked to present himself for questioning at 1:30 pm. He arrived at the police headquarters just ahead of 1:30 pm.

The specific reason for the recent summons is unclear at this point, but Yameen was summoned by the police for questioning regarding a money laundering case on December 15.

The police, in a statement it issued after Yameen’s interrogation on December 15, said the agency had noticed a trend of unusually large and suspicious financial transactions made via his personal back accounts during his presidency.

The money in his accounts – totaling MVR 100 million – has been frozen by the authorities.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case with the police over two transfers of USD 500,000 (totaling USD 1 million) made from a private company to Yameen’s personal bank account at the Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB) three days apart in 2015. ACC has traced the transfers to funds missing in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) embezzlement scandal.