Media, ex-Maldives chief faces 11 years in prison for bribery

A court in Maldives found former President Abdullah Yameen guilty of bribery and money laundering, facing 11 years in prison according to Maldives edition. Avas.
“In his decision, the judge found President Yamin guilty of the charges,” the publication said.
The publication writes that the trial of the country’s former president began in January 2022. Yamin was accused of depositing money from the sale of Aara Island in a personal account and money laundering, as well as taking a one million dollar bribe from former MP Yusuf Nayem, who was also on trial for bribery.
Prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentence for Yamin, given his position at the time of the crime: 11 years in prison and a six-fold increase in fines. According to Maldives law, the fine cannot be increased more than five times, so the highest possible fine is demanded according to the law. Yusuf Nayem was also found guilty of bribery.
Abdullah Emin was sentenced to five years in prison in 2019 for money laundering. In mid-December 2018, a criminal court in the Maldives froze 100 million Maldivian rufias (approximately $6.5 million) in Yameen’s bank accounts in connection with an investigation into the possibility of financial fraud. In November 2021, the Maldives High Court overturned the five-year prison sentence previously given to the country’s former president.