Yameen resubmits appeal with High Court after revisions

Former Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has resubmitted the petition for the appeal of his money laundering conviction with the High Court after revisions.

High Court’s spokesperson Ameen Faisal told Sun that Yameen’s lawyers resubmitted the appeal petition on Wednesday.

The court is now processing the petition.

Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined USD 5 million on December 25, 2022, after he was found guilty of money laundering and bribery in connection to the sale of V. Aarah for resort development. The conviction was appealed with the High Court on February 12.

However, the court instructed the lawyers to resubmit the petition after some revisions Thursday.

Leaders from the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC) had tried unsuccessfully to meet with the court’s registrar to discuss the delay in the appeal.

 PNC’s leader Abdul Raheem Abdulla alleges the delay is proof of government’s influence.

Yameen, who is the opposition PPM-PNC coalition’s presidential candidate, needs to win the appeal in order to qualify for the presidential election in September.

The sentence against him had come a year after he was acquitted after getting convicted of similar charges in 2019.