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Ex-FAM chief denies fraud, money laundering charges
At Thursday’s hearing, Bassam appeared with a lawyer, and the court proceeded with the charges after allowing time for legal representation.
Bassam Adeel Jaleel, former president of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), denied allegations on Thursday that he transferred $10,000 from FIFA funds sent to FAM into his personal bank account for personal use.
The case had been dropped twice before by two lawyers.
At Thursday’s hearing, Bassam appeared with a lawyer, and the court proceeded with the charges after allowing time for legal representation.
Bassam’s defence counsel, Ali Nadeem, responded to the charges of fraud and money laundering. He initially requested time to review the documents, but the trial judge declined, stating that the defence had been given multiple opportunities in the past.
Bassam denied both charges, stating through his lawyer that the allegations in the lawsuit did not occur as described. When asked by the judge to provide details on how the money was deposited into his account, the defense did not respond, citing the need to review the documents.
The judge granted the defense 10 days to submit evidence and pre-trial motions.
The lawsuit alleges that $10,000 from FIFA’s 2018 deposit to FAM was transferred to Bassam’s personal account on August 26. The prosecution claims that:
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A significant portion of the amount was used for expenses related to Bassam and his wife’s company, Glacier Investments.
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$2,000 was used to pay rent for a Rehendhi flat.
In a separate case, the prosecution has also charged Bassam with fraud and money laundering alongside two others and Amin Construction. The charges include:
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A payment of $1 million by Amin Construction for two apartments.
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Failure to pay the equivalent amount in Maldivian currency to FAM, with documentation allegedly prepared to indicate otherwise.
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The $1 million was allegedly part of a $1.9 million COVID-19 relief loan from FIFA intended to assist clubs during the financial crisis.
The court proceedings will continue after the defence submits its evidence and motions.