Bassam responsible for football body funds, Jawaz tells court
Bassam also faces charges in a separate case involving fraud and money laundering.
Former Secretary General of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), Hussain Jawaz, testified in the Criminal Court on Sunday in the trial of former FAM President Bassam Adeel Jaleel, stating that Bassam was the individual responsible for financial matters at FAM during his tenure.
The trial concerns a deposit of USD 10,000 from FIFA in 2018, which the prosecution alleges was transferred to Bassam’s personal account on 26 August 2018. According to the prosecution, a substantial portion of the funds was used by Bassam and his wife for Glacier Investments. Additionally, MVR 2,000 from the amount was reportedly used to pay rent for an apartment named Renedhi Flat.
Jawaz, the only witness presented at the hearing, testified that although the finance department had designated roles, ultimate financial responsibility rested with Bassam as FAM President. He said the process of managing funds typically involved the finance head, Mohamed Agil, along with staff members Ali Moosa and Wafdha.
Jawaz’s testimony included the following points:
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Payments from FIFA and other international federations are received in US dollars
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Funds from the Maldivian government are received in Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR)
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Since 2016, employee salaries and administrative expenses have been paid in MVR
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Dollar income is converted to local currency for operational expenses
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Jawaz had minimal involvement in financial decisions and only signed vouchers and cheques prepared by Agil
The hearing concluded with Presiding Judge Ismail Shafeeu stating that the next hearing would be held on Wednesday.
Bassam also faces charges in a separate case involving fraud and money laundering. In that matter, the prosecution alleges that FAM funds were used to purchase two penthouses developed by Amin Construction. The amount in question is USD 1 million, which was part of a USD 1.9 million COVID-19 relief loan from FIFA. The prosecution claims that Amin Construction did not reimburse the amount in local currency and that falsified documents were prepared to indicate otherwise.
