Yameen denies knowledge of Aarah lease to Naeem
Yameen said that there is no reason he should know whether the money received by Naeem is proceeds of crime.
By
Fathmath Ahmed Shareef
Former President Abdulla Yameen told the High Court on Wednesday that he was not aware that V. Aarah was being leased to former MP Yousuf Naeem's 2G Pvt Ltd.
According to the Criminal Court judgment handed down on December 25, Naeem paid Yameen USD 1 million as a bribe in the lease transaction. Naeem is serving a three-year, two-month and 12-day prison sentence on the conviction.
Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Criminal Court after being convicted of receiving USD 1 million in bribes for the lease of Aarah.
When Yameen's side appealed the case in the High Court, the prosecution's main argument was that Yameen had abused his official status to get Aarah for Naeem, the next accused in the case.
At the last hearing in the case, prosecutor Ahmed Shafiu said that Yameen had instructed Adheeb to get the island for Naeem.
At the High Court hearing on Wednesday, Yameen said the Economic Youth Council (EYC), which decided to allocate the land, does not specify in any of the documents submitted who the land was being given to. The letter submitted by the President's Office does not specify who should be given the land.
"Tourism ministry allocates islands to various parties by itself. It does not consult with the President's Office or even provide information of it to the President's Office. So, there is no way to establish this knowledge, it is not a knowledge I had,” he said.
“There is no evidence in the lower court proceedings whether Aarah was made to give to a particular person or whether a letter has been written to the President's Office to take it. This happened in the EYC. It happened verbally."
Yameen added that the EYC had given permission to allocate the area for tourism purposes and there was no mention in any document issued on the day of the decision that the area was being allocated to a particular person or company.
The prosecution has submitted as evidence in the case a letter sent to the Ministry of Tourism, saying that 'at the behest of Yameen' As for how it happened, Yameen had earlier said that since Adheeb was the chair of the EVC, it is believed that the EyC had decided to vacate the island at Adheeb's behest.
Regarding the letter received by EYC, Yameen said there could be such a letter as the case was not properly investigated by the police. That is because the whole case was based on the help of the police and the state without even verifying the authenticity of the letter.
Yameen responded to the point in the Criminal Court judgment about himself and Naeem receiving the money.
Yameen said:
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Naeem has not been proven by any court to have committed a crime
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The prosecution has not proved in the Criminal Court why Yameen should know where the money came from
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There is no reason Yameen should know whether the money received by Naeem is proceeds of crime
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I should be convicted of money laundering if I knew it was money obtained by crime
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The prosecution has not offered any reason why I am supposed to know that information
V. Aarah is a small uninhabited island near Thinadhoo. The island, which was previously given to a company owned by former DRP leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, was taken back to the government in 2015.
Summary of alleged transactions:
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August 9, 2015: Shifted to Tourism Ministry
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August 13, 2015: Yousuf Naeem forms a company called 2G Private Limited, holding 99% stake in
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A cheque of USD 1 million was given for the lease acquisition cost of the island and USD 1 million to Yusuf Naeem separately; the money was deposited in Yusuf Naeem's account on August 13, 2015.
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August 15, 2015: Yameen received a cheque of USD 1 million from Yusuf Naeem's account; two days later the money was deposited in Yameen's account.
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September 8, 2015: 99% of 2G Private Limited was sold to LA Resorts Private Limited
