Former President Abdulla Yameen has been freed after the High Court overturned his prison sentence and ordered a retrial into the alleged bribery in the lease of Vaavu Aarah island.
Yameen was found guilty of accepting and laundering a USD 1.1 million bribe for the resort lease transaction. The Criminal Court sentenced him to 11 years in prison and imposed a fine of USD 5 million on December 25, 2022. The sentence was appealed in March 2023 and the hearings began in June 2023. The concluding statements were heard on November 21, 2023.
Justice Huzaifa Mohamed, who presided over the appeal, noted that a Criminal Court document stated that the period for allowing pre-trial motions would be counted without including holidays. It was an injustice that the period was counted including holidays as later revealed, she added.
Justice Huzaifa said the right to a fair trial is ensured by defending constitutional rights at every stage of the trial.
The defence should be allowed to present new evidence against the statements made by the prosecution if the prosecution is given the same opportunity, she noted, adding that this opportunity was not provided for the defence during the lower court stage.
The same concerns were highlighted by the justices during co-defendant former MP Yoosuf Naeem's appeal.
The other judges of the bench also agreed with the opinion of the presiding judge. Therefore, the High Court quashed the Criminal Court's ruling and ordered the case to be re-examined.
There were many points of appeal filed by Yameen and 12 hearings were held at the High Court. The hearings were live-streamed for 35 hours including recesses during the hearings.
The judges' bench unanimously decided today, 149 days after the appeal hearings concluded, that Yameen was not guilty of the bribery and money laundering charges.
The case was heard in the High Court by a three-judge bench. They are Justice Huzaifa Mohamed, Justice Hassan Shafeeu and Justice Mohamed Saleem.
Former MP Yoosuf Naeem was also convicted of offering bribes and sentenced to three years in prison by the Criminal Court. The state alleged USD 1.1 million was transferred to Yameen's account and the money was laundered. Both Yameen and Yoosuf Naeem deny the charges.
Yameen was unable to contest in last year's presidential election due to this conviction and sentence.
Previously, Yameen was sentenced to jail in connection with the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) scam which occurred during his administration. He was sentenced to five years in prison by the lower court and the sentence was upheld by the High Court in connection with the alleged corruption in the lease of Gaaf Alif Vodamulaa island. However, the Supreme Court ruled that Yameen was not guilty because the prosecution could not prove that the money transferred to Yameen's account was taken from the state coffers.
Separate bribery and money laundering charges over alleged corruption in the lease of Raa Fuggiri were also raised against Yameen. The case is still pending in the Criminal Court. The last hearing in the case was held in August last year.
