The Prosecutor General's Office has decided against pursuing previously pressed charges against Ahmed 'Krik' Riza, in which he was accused of being an intermediary in bribing former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Qayyoom in the lease of Fuggiri island.

The PG Office said it believed the case had been prolonged to the point that justice was being obstructed.

In 2023, Riza's case was initially withdrawn by the PG Office, to be resubmitted at a later date. The office said that the decision was made to verify the validity of an audio recording claimed to be of the then Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mohamed Riyaz, submitted by Riza.

At a hearing regarding the case today, public prosecutor Ahmed Shafeeu said police had not done the analysis of the audio as directed by the prosecution. While the case remained prolonged, Riza requested the PG Office to review his case as well, Shafeeu said.

This request was made when Prosecutor General, Abbas Shareef, assumed his role and opened applications to review previously pressed charges.

The prosecutor said PG office decided not to pursue Riza's case after reviewing it. He said the prosecution could not justify the prolongation of the case in court. Keeping the case in court would not serve justice, he also said.

Hearing in the Fuggiri case was also delayed because of a medical report submitted on behalf of Riza, claiming he was too unwell to attend hearings. However, this report's validity has been questioned, local media reports said.

While Yameen has also submitted Riza's name as a defence witness, Riza was also absent from today's hearing. He informed the court it was due to his medical situation.

In the Fuggiri case, Yameen is charged with bribery and money laundering as well as laundering funds via Sun Construction and Engineering Pvt Ltd and Sun Investment Pvt Ltd. The two companies requested to have their trials separate from Yameen's. The prosecution separate the charges with the court's permission.