The Criminal Court has decided to hear the defence witnesses put forward by former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to prove that the USD 1 million deposited into his account through the lease of Vaavu Aarah came from currency exchange transactions.
The state had asked the court not to accept the defence witnesses in the trial, in which charges have been brought against Yameen and former parliament member Yousuf Naeem. However, presiding Judge Ali Nadeem ruled that the points raised by the state relate to how much weight should be given to the testimony, and that these would be decided when the trial concludes and the verdict is delivered.
The witnesses submitted in Yameen’s defence include former Malé Deputy Mayor Ahmed Nareesh, parliament member Mohamed Ismail, member Mohamed Shahid and Abdulla Rasheed, along with documentary evidence.
Among the witnesses submitted by the state, the court decided to hear testimony from former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb and former Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) managing director Abdulla Ziyath, while the judge decided not to accept the testimony of member Ahmed Nazim.
Yameen and Yousuf Naeem maintain that the USD 1 million was the proceeds of a transaction in which dollars were bought with cash in Maldivian rufiyaa.
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