Former FAM President Bassam Sentenced to Four Years for Fraud

The Criminal Court has sentenced former Football Association of Maldives (FAM) President Bassam Adeel Jaleel to four years in prison after he was convicted of fraud and money laundering.

Bassam was found to have transferred USD 10,000 (MVR 154,000) from funds deposited by FIFA to FAM’s account in 2018 into his personal account by submitting documents to the bank. Due to bank charges, USD 9,999 was deposited into his account.

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The court determined that the funds were clearly transferred to Bassam’s account based on withdrawal documents and his own statements. Although Bassam claimed the amount was an allowance entitled to him as FAM President, the court noted that FAM had already allocated the President’s allowance several days before the funds were transferred. This indicated that the USD 9,999 could not be considered an allowance.

Evidence also showed that dollar sale transactions occurred between Bassam and FAM, and the equivalent MVR sum was not received by the association. The court found that the funds were used for personal purposes, confirming the crime of fraud.

During sentencing discussions, the Prosecution argued for a four-year jail term, despite the law stipulating a standard punishment of one year and seven months. The Prosecution cited the fact that the crime was committed while Bassam held the position of FAM President as justification for the increased sentence.

Bassam’s defence lawyer requested a lower sentence, highlighting that he had no prior criminal record. Bassam declined to comment on the sentence when given the opportunity.

The court also noted that during the period the funds were transferred, Bassam had purchased expensive items from Singapore and had not repaid the sum. Based on the use of FAM funds for personal purposes, Judge Ismail Shafeeu imposed the maximum sentence of four years in prison.