Yameen tried to lease Fuggiri for just $400k, Adeeb testifies
Adeeb said on Monday that he had asked Yameen about how the commission money was being deposited in his account.
By
Fathmath Ahmed Shareef
Former tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb has testified in the Criminal Court on Monday that Maafannu Central MP Ibrahim Rasheed (Bonde) participated in the negotiations for the lease of R. Fuggiri island to Classic City Island Holdings Ltd, and that he stopped then President Abdulla Yameen from leasing the island to the company for only USD 400,000.
The state had booked four in connection with the alleged irregularities in the lease deal of Fuggiri for development as a tourist resort:
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Yameen - charged with accepting bribes and money laundering
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Ahmed Krik Riza - charged with being a middleman in bribery and money laundering
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Sun Construction - money laundering charges
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Sun Investment - money laundering charges
Testifying in Monday's hearing, Adeeb said he served as tourism minister from 2012 to July 2015 and then vice president from July 2015 to October 2015 at Yameen's request. Adeeb said he took care of the tourism ministry when he was vice president because Yameen wanted it.
On the Fuggiri deal, he said:
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Yameen was the first to speak to him on the lease
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He was told by Yameen that very influential Indian businessmen wanted to lease the island and Yameen had asked him to continue negotiations to lease the island to them for USD 2.5 million
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Negotiated with Classic City company to allot the island for USD 2.5 million and submitted an expression of interest
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Maafannu Central MP Ibrahim Rasheed attended the meeting with the Indian nationals
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Ibrahim Rasheed sat at the meeting as a representative of the Indians
Here are some of the things that he referred to as the transactions that took place in relation to the island since then:
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After the meeting, the then Managing Director of MMPRC Abdulla Ziyath and Adeeb were in touch with the co-accused in the case, Ahmed Krik Riza
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Riza told Ziyath that Yameen had asked him to reduce the acquisition cost of the island to USD 400,000 and charge USD 150,000 in advance
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During the Fuggiri transaction, he met and spoke to Meedhoo MP Ahmed Siyam Mohamed, the owner of Sun companies accused in the case
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He also met Siyam's MDA deputy leader Ali Mauroof and Siyam's younger brother, Ahmed Salim
"I contacted President Yameen and told him at the time that 400,000 was too low," he said, adding that Yameen had agreed to increase the price to USD 1.55 million after him repeatedly telling Yameen that the island could not be leased in such a way.
Adeeb also said that Yameen had said that the price was being reduced to USD 400,000 as the commission money deposited in Riza's account by the Indian company would be higher. Adeeb said the signing of the agreement had to be delayed several times after the commission's deposit was delayed.
Adeeb said on Monday that he had asked Yameen about how the commission money was being deposited in his account.
Adeeb said Yameen had told him he should not worry about it and that "Siyam will fix it". He also said that Yameen had said it was "what Siyam and company had done in the past".
Ziyath’s testimony had also been recorded at the hearing, which began at 9 am on Monday. Ziyath told the court that the lease was granted through MMPRC at the behest of Yameen, based on the advice given by Adeeb.
