Former Maldives president Abdulla Yameen is now being held in custody to face various money laundering and corruption charges. According to local media reports, a court in the Maldives has ordered that the ex-president is held in custody until the end of his trail. Yameen was ordered by the courts to be sent to a detention center on Maafushi Island near the Maldives capital, Male. Upon his arrest, Hundreds of Yameen's supporters, who were calling for his release, flocked to the wharf in Male as authorities escorted him to the boat that would take him to the detention center.
During his initial hearing earlier in the week, a criminal court in the Maldives also accused the former president of bribing witnesses in the prosecution. Yameen lost the presidential elections in the country held last year. Following his defeat, local courts formally charged him with corruption and money laundering. Authorities have also frozen Yameen's various bank accounts, which reportedly contained around US$6 million in various currencies.
Yameen is alleged to have received at least US$1 million, which was deposited to his private account, from a private company believed to be linked to his associates. The money was allegedly taken from the state's funds, which was reportedly part of more than US$79 million in tourism revenues. In a separate money laundering case, Yameen allegedly received US$1.5 million in cash just days before the 2018 presidential elections.
Prosecutors presented evidence of the deposit to Yameen's private account at the Maldives Islamic Bank during one of the hearings. The 59-year-old ex-president's defense attorneys promptly denied all of the allegations and mentioned that will do everything to fight it.
Yameen's lawyers also stated that they have no reason to let their client return the US$1 million deposited to his account as there is no proof that it was taken from the state's coffers. Yameen previously mentioned in an interview in January, that the money that was given to him was willingly donated as part of his campaign funds. His lawyers also dismissed all money laundering charges and stated that it was merely an attempt by Yameen's opponents to influence the upcoming parliamentary elections.
During his five-year term, Yameen has been accused of numerous human rights violations and corruption. He had managed to have almost all of his opposition arrested, with some being forced into exile. Media outlets that were critical of his administration were also summarily shut down. Despite the various allegations against him, Yameen managed to prevent any investigations into his activities during his term.
