The Criminal Court has postponed the hearing for former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom regarding money laundering and bribery charges in the Raa Fuggiri case, rescheduling his appearance for next month.
Adhadhu understands that the hearing, scheduled for today, has now been moved to October 8 at 9:15 am.
The session was scheduled to present closing statements. Some media reports say the Prosecutor General's (PG) Office cancelled the hearing at the request of the state prosecutors, who are currently on medical leave.
However, Yameen is still scheduled to appear in court on September 29 regarding the bribery and money laundering charges related to Vaavu Aarah. That hearing is set for deliberations on pretrial motions.
The High Court previously ordered a retrial of the Vaavu Aarah case after determining that the Criminal Court had improperly admitted new evidence submitted by the state to prove the corruption charges against Yameen.
Following an appeal by the state, the Supreme Court ruled on July 1 that there were no grounds to overturn the High Court’s decision.
On December 25, 2022, the Criminal Court sentenced Yameen to 11 years in prison after finding him guilty of accepting $1.1 million in bribes and laundering the funds during the lease of Vaavu Aarah.
The Criminal Court’s conviction was based on the admission of new evidence presented by the prosecution to rebut the defense's testimony. Yameen appealed that verdict in the High Court.
