Criminal Court schedules verdict in Yameen's Fuhgiri corruption case for 29 October

The Criminal Court has decided to schedule a hearing on 29 October to deliver its verdict on bribery and money laundering charges against former President Abdulla Yameen in connection with the lease of R. Fuhgiri.

The decision was announced on Tuesday after the defence presented its closing arguments in the case. The prosecution had delivered its closing submissions at a hearing held on Monday.

Judge Ali Nadeem, who is presiding over the trial, said the verdict hearing would be scheduled for 9am on 29 October.

With both parties having completed their closing submissions, the trial has reached its final stage before judgment.

The case initially involved six defendants, but Yameen is now the only remaining accused.

The former president faces charges of accepting a bribe and money laundering in connection with the lease of Fuhgiri.

The prosecution previously withdrew charges of facilitating bribery and money laundering against Ahmed Krik Riza.

Money laundering charges against Sun Construction and Sun Investment were also dismissed by the lower court. The Prosecutor General's Office subsequently decided not to appeal those rulings.

No legal action has been taken against Classic City Island Holdings, the company that obtained the lease, while the authorities also took no action to recover the island after shares in the resort were sold to another company.

The case concerns the lease of Fuhgiri by the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) to UAE-based Classic City Island Holdings for USD 1.55 million without a competitive bidding process.

The transaction is alleged to have involved bribery and corruption.

Documents disclosed through the Pandora Papers identified links between Classic City Island Holdings and Indian businessmen Avinash Bhosale and Amit Kumar Gandhi.

According to the leaked documents, the company was a partnership involving business interests associated with Bhosale, an Indian property developer, and Gandhi, an Indian businessman involved in the logistics sector.

During the trial, the prosecution alleged that Yameen received funds connected to the lease transaction, while the defence disputed the allegations and challenged the evidence presented against him.

In its closing arguments on Tuesday, the defence maintained that the prosecution had failed to establish a connection between Yameen and the alleged corruption surrounding the lease.

The prosecution presented its closing arguments on Monday, after which the defence was given the opportunity to respond.

The court is now expected to deliver its judgment on 29 October.