Yameen Court Hearing Today

After a series of postponements, the High Court has finally fixed a hearing date for the appeal of former President Abdullah Yameen Abdul Gayoom. 

Yameen faces an 11-year prison sentence and a $5 million fine on charges of fraud and money laundering, as ruled by a lower court on December 25 2022.

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Former Felidhoo MP Yousuf Naeem was also handed a three-year, two-month, and 12-day jail sentence in a case linked to the former president.

Both Yameen and Naeem have appealed their convictions concurrently in the High Court. The hearing is scheduled for 14:00 today.

The case’s previous hearing was held in September, and subsequent hearings were repeatedly cancelled at the prosecution’s request.

In response to the High Court’s order, the payment of the fine imposed on Yameen has been put on hold until the case is resolved.

Yameen initially lodged an appeal in February, although the process was revised in March due to procedural issues. A definitive timeline for a verdict remains unclear.

Yameen refrained from contesting the last presidential election owing to the pending appeal case. 

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled against his eligibility to run for office, leading him to urge opposition leadership to boycott the election. Ultimately, Yameen threw his support behind the incumbent President-elect Mohammed Muizzu, who emerged as the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) primary winner.

Following Muizzu’s election victory, Yameen was relocated to his residence as per his request. Moreover, Yameen’s sentence has been somewhat relaxed to accommodate health-related outings and exercise.