Maldives courts lack jurisdiction without FIFA request, Bassam says

Former Football Association of Maldives (FAM) President Bassam Adeel Jaleel told the Criminal Court on Wednesday that he could only be prosecuted for allegedly embezzling funds from FIFA under FIFA’s own disciplinary framework.

Bassam, who is already serving a nine-year prison sentence for corruption within the FAM, is currently on trial for allegedly using FIFA funds to purchase an apartment in Amin Avenue and laundering the money.

At Wednesday’s hearing, the Criminal Court ruled on several pre-trial motions filed by Bassam’s defence. One of the key motions challenged the jurisdiction of the court, with Bassam’s lawyer Abdulla Shariq arguing that the matter could only be dealt with under FIFA regulations.

Shariq told the court that FIFA has its own ethics committee and arbitration mechanisms to handle financial misconduct, and that only FIFA or one of its members could authorise an external judicial investigation. He said neither FIFA nor the FAM Executive Committee had submitted a complaint to the police or the Prosecutor General’s Office in relation to the alleged offence.

Shariq added that issues involving FIFA funds are typically investigated within FIFA’s internal framework, noting that Bassam had already been suspended by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee.

However, the Prosecutor General’s representative, Abdulla Jihad, said that if a criminal offence occurred within the Maldives, it must be prosecuted under Maldivian law. He added that the Maldives had not entered into any treaty or agreement granting FIFA or FAM diplomatic immunity from the country’s criminal laws.

Presiding Judge Mohamed Misbah ruled that the Criminal Court has jurisdiction over the case, noting that neither FIFA nor the FAM had objected to the ongoing proceedings or issued any statement seeking to intervene.

Bassam’s defence counsel, Ali Shah, said the ruling would be appealed at the High Court and requested a written copy of the decision. Judge Misbah said the ruling would be issued in writing within 24 hours.

In addition to Bassam, charges have also been filed against:

The state is seeking USD 1 million in damages from Amin Construction and has requested that the two Amin Avenue apartments associated with Bassam be confiscated.