Former FAM President Bassam Sentenced to Five Years for Money Laundering

The Criminal Court has sentenced former Football Association of Maldives (FAM) President Bassam Adeel Jaleel to five years in prison and fined him MVR 154,000 after finding him guilty of money laundering linked to funds deposited by FIFA into FAM’s account in 2018.

Delivering the verdict, Judge Ismail Shafeeu said it had already been established that Bassam had embezzled USD 10,000 (MVR 154,000) from the FIFA funds during his tenure as FAM President. The judge stated that the evidence clearly showed Bassam had transferred the money into his personal account and used it for his own benefit, thereby committing the offence of money laundering.

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Bassam was previously sentenced to four years in prison on 8 August this year after being convicted of embezzlement in connection with the same transaction. In that case, the court found that Bassam had transferred the funds into his personal account by submitting documents to the bank, despite FAM having already allocated his presidential allowance several days earlier.

In the latest ruling, the court determined that Bassam had knowingly concealed and utilised the embezzled funds, confirming that the money was obtained through illegal means. Evidence also showed that dollar sale transactions occurred between Bassam and FAM, and the association did not receive the equivalent amount in Maldivian rufiyaa.

The prosecution requested the maximum penalty permitted by law, noting that Bassam had breached public trust and used FAM funds for personal purposes. His defence team sought leniency, arguing that he had no prior criminal record before these convictions.

The judge imposed a five-year jail term and ordered Bassam to pay the MVR 154,000 fine within six months. The court, however, declined the state’s request to confiscate the USD 10,000, stating that the prosecution had not proven the funds were still in Bassam’s possession.

Bassam continues to face additional charges of embezzling FAM funds in a separate case, in which the state has also sought the confiscation of a penthouse allegedly purchased using misappropriated money.