Criminal Court of the Maldives has postponed the trial of the new charges pressed against former President Abdulla Yameen.
On June 28, the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) pressed new charges against the jailed former president over the corrupt lease of Fuhgiri, Raa Atoll for resort development through Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC). Yameen is accused of using his influence as the president to seek a bribe of USD 1.1 million and laundering the money. The state is seeking a compensation of USD 38.3 million over the case, which includes the funds which were extracted illegally, funds which were mixed with the illegally acquired funds as well as the fines over the actions.
In the preliminary hearing of the trial, former President Yameen told the court that he has not been able to meet his lawyers for over month, adding it would be difficult to proceed with the trial without meeting his legal team to discuss the case documents. State attorneys argued Yameen was provided the opportunity to meet his lawyers in accordance to the special regulations in place at Maafushi Prison amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the presiding judge at the Criminal Court concluded the former president was not given sufficient opportunities to meet his lawyers before the trial. Noting lawyer meetings would be important for the defendant in a case like this, the judge announced the decision to postpone the trial to allow Yameen to meet his lawyers. The judge also ordered Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) to facilitate lawyer meetings for Yameen in prison.
Former President Yameen is already serving a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of laundering USD 1 million in relation to the MMPRC corruption scandal. The sentence has been appealed at the High Court of the Maldives.