Yameen’s Trial Set for Later This Month

The Criminal Court of the Maldives has scheduled trial proceedings for former President Abdulla Yameen later this month. 

One of President Yameen’s defence lawyers confirmed that the court has issued summonses for back-to-back hearings set for September 23 and September 29. 

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The upcoming court dates relate to the ongoing corruption and money-laundering charges brought against Yameen by the State. 

The charges stem from the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) scandal, specifically regarding the leasing transactions of V. Aarah and R. Fuggiri. 

In the V. Aarah case, the Criminal Court had previously sentenced Yameen to 11 years in prison. However, the High Court overturned the conviction and ordered a full retrial. 

With proceedings in both cases pending before the Criminal Court, hearings have now been officially confirmed for later this month; a session for the R. Fuggiri transaction case, which is currently at the stage of evaluating evidence and presenting closing arguments, is set for September 23, followed by a pre-trial hearing on September 29 to formally restart the V. Aarah retrial under the Supreme Court’s evidentiary guidelines. 

Parallel to his judicial proceedings, the Maldives Police Service attempted to serve Yameen a notice on September 8 regarding public comments he made about a major fire that destroyed a multi-ministry building on December 12, 2024.

While law enforcement stated the matter remains an open record with their service, Yameen declined the physical notice and submitted a written statement indicating he held no additional evidence regarding the incident beyond his public remarks.