Former President Abdulla Yameen told a High Court appeal hearing that he had no prior knowledge of the leasing of Aarah Island, saying the matter fell under the Ministry of Tourism and that he received US$1 million from Yousuf Naeem only as a foreign exchange transaction to fund campaigning. Wednesday's proceedings concluded his evidence presentation, with state arguments to follow.
One outlet so far Only Maldives Republic has reported this among the sources we monitor. A gap in what we monitor, not proof that others did not report it.
I had no knowledge of Yousuf Naeem's desire to lease an island. He had not formally or informally communicated this intention to the President's Office, nor had I received any SMS messages regarding it.
The only thing Yousuf Naeem did was sell me US dollars at the bank rate. I did not derive any benefit from this transaction
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currently serving an 11-year jail sentence for bribery and money laundering convictions related to the leasing of Aarah Island in Vaavu Atoll
Word for word from the report in Maldives Republic. Open the report
the Criminal Court found him guilty of accepting a bribe of US$1 million from former parliament member Yousuf Naeem, in exchange for leasing the island to a company affiliated with Naeem.
Word for word from the report in Maldives Republic. Open the report
