Football Association of Maldives (FAM) President Bassam Adeel Jaleel's passport has been withheld amid serious allegations of misusing funds sent by world football's governing body FIFA.
The travel ban comes after the police made progress in its investigation and the Prosecutor General’s (PG) office revealed that significant information has been gathered in the FAM case so far.
Adhadhu has confirmed that an overseas travel ban has been imposed on Bassam in relation to the case. Bassam frequently travels out of the country and posts photos of his trips on social media.
The PG office previously said that FAM President Bassam was the prime suspect in the alleged misuse of funds and that charges would be raised after evidence is gathered.
The investigation has found clear documentary evidence with bank statements showing funds sent to the FAM by foreign institutions transferred to private accounts, the police revealed.
The police launched the investigation on the orders of the Prosecutor General on November 22 and raided the FAM office. A large number of documents, server backups and hard disks were seized.
In a statement released in response to the police investigation, FAM denied embezzlement of foreign funds by any official or staff member, dismissing the allegations as fabricated for personal reasons and self-interest by a group of people to take advantage of circumstances.
Bassam also faced calls for his resignation from segments of the public before the allegations surfaced.
