Prosecution Appeals Dismissal of Money Laundering Charge in FAM Case

MV+ News Desk | March 18, 2026
Amin Avenue buildings constructed by Amin Construction.

The Prosecutor General’s Office has appealed to the High Court against a lower court ruling that dismissed a charge of aiding and abetting money laundering against Amin Construction Pvt Ltd in connection with the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) case.

According to the prosecution, the appeal was filed after the Criminal Court determined that a cheque valued at USD 1 million constituted a dollar exchange transaction rather than part of a money laundering scheme. Prosecutors argue that this conclusion was incorrect and have requested a reassessment of both the evidence and the legal interpretation of the transaction.

In its filing, the Prosecutor General’s Office also contended that the trial judge acted unlawfully by declining to hear testimony from several oral witnesses presented by the prosecution. The office has asked the High Court to admit all relevant witness testimony, review the full body of evidence, and refer the case back to the lower court for reconsideration of whether the transaction amounts to money laundering.

The case centres on allegations that Amin Construction accepted a cheque issued by FAM to facilitate the purchase of an apartment, using USD 1 million drawn from a larger sum of USD 1.9 million provided to FAM by FIFA. Prosecutors allege that the transaction was structured to disguise the origin of the funds.

Court documents indicate that Amin Avenue submitted a letter to the Bank of Ceylon describing the funds as part of a dollar purchase transaction. On 14 April 2021, the amount was deposited into an account associated with Amin Avenue. The prosecution claims the company assisted former FAM president Bassam Adeel Jaleel in carrying out the transaction.

Bassam Adil Jaleel was acquitted of money laundering in relation to the USD 1 million transaction involving Amin Construction, a decision that has also been appealed by the Prosecutor General’s Office. He is currently serving a total sentence of 23 years in prison, and has also been convicted in two separate cases involving the embezzlement of FAM funds, for which he received additional sentences of five years and four years respectively.

The Criminal Court had ruled that the USD 1 million cheque was not used to purchase apartments, but instead represented a currency exchange arrangement between FAM and Amin Construction. This interpretation forms a key point of contention in the prosecution’s appeal.

Prosecutors emphasised that the current appeal does not affect Bassam’s existing conviction on other money laundering charges. However, they maintain that the dismissal of the aiding and abetting charge against Amin Construction warrants further judicial review.

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