Former Maldivian President Abdullah Yameen sentenced to 11 years in prison on corruption charges

Dec. 26 (EUROPA PRESS) –

A court has sentenced former Maldives President Abdullah Yameen to eleven years in prison for money laundering and bribery.

Yameen will serve eleven years in prison, after being sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine of five million dollars for money laundering, and four years in prison for bribery.

The judge has indicated that it has not been possible to justify the origin of money checks deposited in his bank account when he was president.

Even if the funds are considered political donations for campaigns, the financial accounts would not reflect that the funds were spent for political purposes, the magistrate has remarked, reports the Malaysian outlet Avas.

Thus, the former president could not stand in the next presidential elections, unless a higher court annuls these sentences. However, the main opposition party, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has declared that there are still no circumstances that prevent the former president from being a presidential candidate.

Yameen’s legal team has indicated that it will appeal the verdict “without delay” and that it is confident that the Court of Appeal will win the case “very successfully”, according to statements collected by Mihaaru.