Supreme Court Concludes Hearings in Yameen Appeal Case

The Supreme Court of the Maldives has concluded hearings in the case filed by the state against former president Abdulla Yameen, after the High Court nullified his prison sentence on money laundering charges.

Yameen had previously been sentenced by the Criminal Court for accepting and laundering USD 1 million in bribes, but the High Court overturned the ruling and ordered a retrial. The appellate court also directed the lower court to dismiss new evidence introduced by the state. In response, the state appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the High Court’s decision to exclude the new evidence was flawed.

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In Monday’s session, which followed a change in the bench, Chief Justice of the case Aisha Shujoon Mohamed announced that a separate sitting will be scheduled to deliver the court’s verdict. She was joined on the panel by Judge Dr Mohamed Ibrahim and Judge Abdulla Hameed.

The prosecution argued that the new evidence should be presented and debated in the lower court before any decision is made on it.

When asked by the bench, the state confirmed that the evidence in question had been available since the beginning of the trial.

Yameen’s defence team, led by Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, contended that the state’s move to bring the matter before the Supreme Court was unnecessarily delaying the case, to the detriment of his client. He stressed that the retrial ordered by the High Court did not provide grounds for the state to introduce new arguments.

Lawyer Hamza Latheef, representing both Yameen and former Felidhoo MP Yoosuf Naeem, echoed this view. He said the state had initially defended its use of an “improper clause” in the High Court, but has now shifted to presenting new arguments before the Supreme Court — something he described as impermissible at the appeal stage.

Yoosuf Naeem, who was also handed a prison term by the Criminal Court, saw his conviction nullified by the High Court, which instead ordered a retrial. 

The Supreme Court is expected to issue its verdict on the admissibility of the disputed evidence and the broader case in a forthcoming session.