News Desk
MALÉ — Hearings in the high-profile corruption trial against former President Abdulla Yameen are set to resume next month at the Criminal Court, following a decisive ruling by the Supreme Court that upheld the exclusion of late-submitted state evidence.
The proceedings had been placed on hold pending a final legal determination from the apex court. The case returns to the trial court in the wake of a 2024 High Court ruling that overturned the original 11-year prison sentence handed down against Yameen in 2022 and ordered a retrial.
The High Court’s directive had outlined three specific instructions for the lower court: allowing a fresh round of pre-trial motions, setting aside new evidence introduced by the state, and disregarding a specific interpretation contained in paragraph 68 of the lower court’s previous judgment. The state chose to appeal only the portion regarding the exclusion of new evidence to the Supreme Court. However, the bench ruled that the High Court’s order was entirely correct, meaning prosecutors will not be permitted to rely on the supplementary evidence submitted after the initial trial phase.
Yameen was originally convicted of money laundering and accepting bribes in connection with the lease of Vaavu Aarah island, receiving a combined 11-year prison sentence alongside a five million US dollar fine.
The High Court quashed those convictions in April 2024, concurrently overturning a three-year, two-month, and 12-day prison sentence handed down to co-accused Yoosuf Naeem in December 2022 for bribery. With the Supreme Court settling the procedural dispute over evidence, the Criminal Court is now finalising arrangements to restart the hearings next month.
Supreme Court Deals Blow to Prosecutors in Yameen Corruption Retrial
