Sun companies seek expedited trial in Fuggiri graft case
The judge said that the court will try to conclude the hearings as soon as possible.
By
Fathmath Ahmed Shareef
Sun Construction and Sun Investment requested the Criminal Court on Monday to expedite the trial in connection with the R. Fuggiri lease transaction as part of the MMPRC corruption scandal.
The two companies are accused of money laundering in connection with the lease of Fuggiri to Classic City Island Holdings Limited. The prosecution alleges that Sun Construction and Sun Investment received USD 1.18 million in bribes from Ahmed Krik Riza, who was an intermediary in the deal. The money was then deposited into accounts held by the two companies.
The trial has been delayed several times due to various reasons, including the unavailability of witnesses. The last two witnesses for the prosecution are Mohamed Shifau, the Executive Director of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), and Srita Kumar Thiaga Raja, the Finance Director of Sun Construction. Shifau testified at the Monday hearing, while Thiaga Raja's testimony will be taken at a later date.
After Shifau's testimony, the defence counsel for Sun Construction and Sun Investment requested that the court expedite the trial and set a schedule for upcoming hearings. The counsel argued that the two companies have extensive business interests in Maldives and that the lawsuits against them are creating obstacles to those interests.
The judge said that the court is also working to decide the case as soon as possible. However, he noted that it is difficult to give an advance schedule due to the lack of court space. The Criminal Court now conducts trials with separate slots for each judge each month.
The judge said that the court will take the testimony of the next witness as soon as possible and then take the testimony of the defence lawyers. He added that the court will try to conclude the hearings as soon as possible.
Case summary
The prosecution alleges that on September 9, 2015, a transaction was conducted through the MMPRC to lease the property to Classic City Island Holdings Limited. The prosecution alleged that:
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On May 29, 2016, USD 1.1 million of the alleged bribes received through Riza was deposited into an account at the Bank of Ceylon in Riza's name.
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A check from the account was issued to Sun Construction.
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On May 31, 2016, the check was deposited into an account opened with State Bank of India in the name of Sun Construction, pretending to be a dollar exchange transaction.
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On June 7, 2016, the money was deposited as an 'in-house fund transfer' into an account opened with State Bank of India in the name of Sun Investment.
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On June 7, 2016, after collecting an additional USD 1,000, a total of USD 1.18 million was deposited into an account opened in Yameen's name at an Islamic bank as an inter-company fund transfer.
The defence has denied the allegations and has called for the charges to be dropped. The trial is ongoing.
