Criminal Court's decision to sentence former President Abdulla Yameen to 11 years in prison and a fine USD 5 million will be appealed, his lawyers confirmed on Sunday night.
Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Yameen's legal team, led by former Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, said he did not accept the verdict.
"The sentence handed down to Yameen is unacceptable. It is in violation of the Constitution, the Criminal Procedure Act and the regulations prescribed under the Act," Jameel said.
Dr Jameel said that the prosecution had not produced enough evidence to prove the charges against him beyond a reasonable doubt.
"The defense presented strong evidence and witness statements to dislodge the charges. During the trial, the prosecution has not presented a single piece of evidence on the charges of accepting bribes and money laundering," Jameel said.
He added that he would appeal the verdict without delay and was confident that the Court of Appeal would rule in their favour.
The prosecution had asked for a 19 year prison sentence, of which eight years are for bribery charges and 11 years for money laundering, along with a fine of USD 5 million.
However, Chief Judge Ahmed Shakeel sentenced him to four years in jail for bribery and seven years for money laundering.
As long as the conviction of accepting bribes and money laundering through the lease transaction of Vaavu atoll Aarah remains in force, opposition leader Yameen will lose his chance to contest in the 2023 presidential election.
The sentence removes a constitutional requirement for contesting in a presidential election. Article 109(f) of the Maldives Constitution states that a presidential candidate cannot be convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to a term of more than twelve months, unless a period of three years has elapsed since the release, or pardon for the offence for which he was sentenced.
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