State heads to High Court to recover money laundered by Yameen

The state has filed an appeal with the High Court over lack of mention in the Criminal Court ruling regarding the repossession of the USD 3.4 million (MVR 53 million) former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was convicted of laundering.

Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison for money laundering and bribery in connection to the sale of V. Aarah for resort development on December 25, 2022. However, he wasn’t ordered to pay the money he laundered to the state. Two weeks later, the court ordered Yameen to pay MVR 53 million.

The High Court later annulled the ruling, citing the law does not allow an additional ruling in an attempt to perfect or add or omit a portion of the original ruling. The court said the state has the option of recovering the money by appealing the original ruling.