Former President Maumoon denies bribery allegations by former President Yameen, considers legal action

The office of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has denied allegations made by former President Abdulla Yameen, claiming that Maumoon was jailed during Yameen’s presidency for bribing Supreme Court judges.

In an interview with Adhadhu Online last week, former President Yameen alleged that Maumoon was jailed in connection with a bribery case involving a Supreme Court order issued on February 1, 2018. He claimed that Maumoon and his son, Ahmed Faris Maumoon, were involved in influencing the court, and that the funds used were obtained from former MP Abdulla Jabir.

However, Maumoon’s office denied these allegations in a statement, calling them “completely false.”

“It is very shameful for a person who has held the position of President of the Republic of Maldives to spread such lies in society without the slightest truth. President Maumoon is considering taking legal action against President Yameen for these remarks,” the statement said.

The statement went on to say that Yameen’s remarks were made solely to damage Maumoon’s reputation, calling the accusation “a very low-level lie.”

Maumoon’s office also said that the Supreme Court’s February 1, 2018 order had no connection to him.

“President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has never committed any act of bribing judges to obtain a court order from the Supreme Court of Maldives or any other decision,” the statement read.

In response to his brother’s claims, Maumoon reiterated that he had never paid bribes or made any unlawful payments to judges or public officials during, before or even after Yameen’s administration.

“President Al-Ustaz Maumoon Abdul Gayoom wishes to assure all the people of Maldives that he has never committed any act in violation of the Constitution and laws of the Republic of the Maldives,” the statement added.

Yameen also said in the interview that, during the investigation, police had asked for Maumoon’s phone and laptop. According to Yameen, Maumoon claimed he did not have a mobile phone and repeated this in court.

“Then, when this didn't happen [when Maumoon’s phone was not handed over], the police went to court to get an order [to arrest Maumoon],” Yameen said.

He further alleged that Maumoon had the opportunity to defend himself in the Criminal Court but chose not to do so.

The conflict over these allegations significantly strained the relationship between the two. During the 2018 presidential election, Maumoon supported the then-opposition MDP candidate President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who went on to win the presidency.

Jabir later claimed he had given MVR 29 million to Maumoon to support the MDP coalition’s campaign. Maumoon, however, denied receiving any such funds.

Maumoon was arrested on February 1, 2018, and was sentenced by the Criminal Court to one year and seven months in jail for refusing to hand over his mobile phone to investigators.

Following Yameen’s defeat in the 2018 election, Maumoon was released on bail pending appeal. On October 18, 2018, the High Court acquitted him.

Presiding Judge Ali Sameer ruled that the prosecution had failed to produce any evidence that the phone in question contained relevant material. He also noted that while two witnesses testified in the lower court, their statements only indicated that Maumoon could not say where the phone was.