Ex-President Yameen refuses to provide new statement in Aarah case

Former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has refused to provide a new statement to the police in the money laundering case against him in connection to the sale of V. Aarah for resort development. 

Yameen was summoned to the police headquarters in connection to the case at 02:00 pm this Monday. His official legal team had previously recused themselves from the investigation into the case. 

He was accompanied to the police headquarters on Monday by a new legal team. 

A member of the new legal team, Mohamed Raaib Ahmed told Sun they are unable to understand the legal warning issued to Yameen again on Monday. 

He said Yameen saw no reason to provide a new statement to the police, as the case had already been investigated by the police and sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office for charges. 

“President Yameen stated that given the case had already been fully investigated, and given he has no additional information to share with Maldives Police Service or the Prosecutor General’s Office as he had already provided a detailed statement, he said he will make further statements at court if the case is filed with the court,” said Raaib. 

Yameen’s lawyer, former Vice President Mohamed Jameel Ahmed previously said that the police told the lawyers Yameen was being requestioned at the instructions of the Prosecutor General, because he wasn’t issued his legal warning in accordance with legal standards when the police originally took his statement in the case. 

Police concluded their investigation into USD 1 million deposit from the sale of Aarah to Yameen’s personal bank account, and requested the Prosecutor General’s Office for money laundering and bribery charges against him back in April

Yameen is already serving a five-year prison sentence for money laundering, after he was convicted of laundering USD 1 million from the sale of GA. Vodamula on November 28, 2019.

He was also fined USD 5 million in the case.

Yameen was serving his sentence in Maafushi Prison, but was transferred to home confinement following an outbreak of COVID-19 at the  prison in April.