Former President Abdulla Yameen has requested the Criminal Court of the Maldives to Livestream his trial regarding the money laundering charges over the embezzlement of state funds through the lease of Aarah, Vaavu Atoll, for tourism development.
At the hearing on January 13, Yameen's attorney Dr. Mohamed Jameel requested the Criminal Court to Livestream the trial and said the constitution guarantees the right to open court trials to the public. The legal team of former Representative of Felidhoo Constituency Yoosuf Naeem, who is charged with giving bribes in the case, objected to the request and asked the court to carry out his trial separately.
Presiding Judge Ahmed Shakeel said a decision will be made on the request to Livestream the hearings next week. He also requested the defendants to submit the necessary documents to the court within one week and scheduled the next hearing for January 27.
Former President Yameen is facing charges of money laundering and accepting bribes over the Aarah case. He is accused of accepting USD 1 million as a bribe during the lease of Aarah and laundering the money.
Aarah, which is located near Thinadhoo in Vaavu Atoll, had been leased to a private company when it was taken back and handed over to the Felidhoo Island Council in 2015. The island was later handed over to a company called 2G Maldives Private Limited, before leasing the island again to a foreign company.
The embezzlement of funds acquired from the lease of Aarah was uncovered during the investigation of the corruption scandal of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).