Police in u-turn ask Bassam to hand over apartments Tuesday

Police on Monday ordered the handover of two apartments allegedly linked to former president of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), Bassam Adeel Jaleel.

Authorities have given a deadline of 12pm on 8th October, for the properties to be surrendered.

The two apartments, located in the (A) Block of Amin Avenue, Hulhumale’, are at the centre of an investigation into financial mismanagement involving FAM and FIFA funds.

Initially, the police had agreed to a request by Bassam to delay the handover until 31st October.

However, in a statement issued on Monday, police reversed their decision, stating that they will not postpone the handover any further.

The properties are expected to be vacated and handed over by the deadline.

The police warned that failure to comply would result in "necessary measures" being taken to seize the apartments within the legal framework.

The case against Bassam stems from a financial arrangement in which FAM allegedly used a $1.9 million relief loan from FIFA to purchase the two apartments. This loan was intended to alleviate the financial difficulties faced by FAM.

According to details revealed by the police in a press conference last month, Amin Construction, which built the apartments, received $1 million from FAM for the properties.

However, police allege that Amin Construction has yet to pay this amount back to FAM, suggesting the documents were falsified to appear otherwise.

This investigation has intensified in recent weeks as authorities seek to uncover the full extent of financial misconduct involving the funds intended for FAM.

The handling of the FIFA loan and its use to acquire luxury apartments for Bassam has raised serious questions about financial governance within the organisation.