Bassam convicted on two further counts of fraud and money laundering

Former Football Association of Maldives (FAM) president Bassam Adeel Jaleel has been found guilty of two additional charges of fraud and money laundering over the misuse of funds sent by FIFA as Covid-19 relief.

Bassam, who is already serving a nine-year prison sentence for fraud and money laundering in earlier cases, was charged with embezzling USD 1.2 million (about MVR 19 million) provided by FIFA to FAM to support local football clubs during the pandemic.

Prosecutors alleged that the money was withdrawn from FAM accounts and used to purchase two penthouse apartments at Amin Avenue. Criminal Court heard that the funds were deposited with Amin Construction as part of the purchase.

Delivering the verdict, presiding judge Mohamed Misbah said the court was unable to determine that Maldivian rufiyaa from FAM accounts had directly entered the purchase transaction. However, he said evidence showed the apartment was bought with cash and that a third party had made payments on Bassam’s behalf.

The judge ruled that the trial had established deliberate deception over the origin of the funds and that the money had been embezzled with Bassam’s knowledge, thereby proving the charge of fraud.

He further ruled that Bassam had falsified the origin of the funds and laundered money obtained through criminal means, concluding that the prosecution had also proved the money laundering charge.

Misbah said Bassam had deposited more than MVR 6m over a 61-day period towards the purchase of the apartments. While such sums could result from grants, loans or business profits, the court found no evidence that Bassam had received legitimate income or financial assistance of that scale.

“The responsibility lies with the defendant to prove the money used was lawfully obtained,” the judge said, adding that Bassam had failed to do so.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

At the close of the ruling, Bassam cited two verses from the Qur’an; verse 26 of Surah Sad and verse 19 of Surah Fatir, in remarks addressed to those present in court.

Bassam has denied owning the penthouses, saying he holds no real estate in his name. However, the court noted that he lived in an apartment formed by combining the two units and that the purchase agreement was signed by him.

Criminal Court previously ordered the apartments to be handed over to police as evidence, and the property was taken into custody in October 2024. Bassam appealed the order, but the High Court declined to hear the appeal.