Fuhgiri case hearing scheduled after big gap

Criminal Court has scheduled a hearing on former President Abdulla Yameen's money laundering case, in which he is accused to accepting bribes and laundering money in the leasing of Raa atoll Fuhgiri.

The hearing was scheduled for April 28, after a huge gap between hearings, with the last hearing in the case held in August 2023.

Although a hearing was held in August of last year, it was later cancelled.

While Yameen is charged with money laundering for accepting USD one million in bribes and laundering the money in the lease of the island through Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), Sun Construction Company and Sun Investment are also named co-defendants in the case.

Yameen is also charged in connection with the lease transaction of Vaavu atoll Aarah. In this case, High Court had earlier quashed the 11-year jail sentence handed down to Yameen by the Criminal Court and ordered a retrial.

However, the High Court ruled that new evidence was inadmissible, which led the prosecution to appeal the decision at Supreme Court. The Criminal Court had adjourned the hearing pending the Supreme Court's decision.