Yameen’s money laundering case scheduled for 1:30 pm

The pre-trial hearing in the money laundering case against former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom is scheduled to be held at the Criminal Court at 1:30 pm this Monday. 

Yameen, the Leader of main opposition party, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), was charged with money laundering after Maldives Police Service’s investigators traced USD 1 million - believed to be embezzled funds in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) scam - to his bank account.

The USD 1 million was transferred in two installments of USD 500,000 to Yameen’s account at the Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB) by SOF Private Limited.

MPS, in a statement this February, said Yameen had refused request by authorities to return the funds to the State, and had conducted financial transaction using the USD 1 million in his account and generated profit.

Yameen was presented with case documents by the Criminal Court last Sunday.

Prosecutor General’s Office has also charged Azima Shakoor, the Minister of Legal Affairs at the President’s Office during Yameen’s administration, with aiding and abetting him to launder money and providing false testimony and attempting to mislead investigators.

The case against Azima, too, has been filed with the Criminal Court.