Azima defends herself after PG drops MMPRC charges, rebuts Jameel’s claims

The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has decided to drop two charges against Aishath Azima Shakoor, who was previously accused of facilitating money laundering and providing false information in connection with the MMPRC corruption scandal.

The charges, filed in February 2019, were linked to the case against former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

In a post on X, Jameel, Yameen’s lawyer, claimed President Dr Mohamed Muizzu was “whitewashing certain people,” suggesting political favoritism in the PGO’s decision. Azima responded with a detailed letter, stating that she had advised Yameen to deposit the suspected MMPRC funds into an escrow account immediately after media reports surfaced. She emphasized that escrow accounts are legally recognized tools for safeguarding funds under conditional release, and her advice was rooted in legal responsibility.

Azima argued that she was charged for recommending a lawful course of action and that no MMPRC-related funds ever entered her account. She contrasted her position with Jameel’s, noting that she was not in government when the MMPRC scandal occurred, unlike Jameel, who served as Vice President during that period.

She further stated that under Maldivian law, if the principal is acquitted, the alleged accomplice cannot be prosecuted. Yet, despite Yameen’s acquittal in one MMPRC case, her charges remained active for four years. Azima questioned the consistency of Jameel’s legal standards, pointing out that he often invokes the principle “justice delayed is justice denied,” yet overlooked the prolonged impact of her own case.

Azima also listed the personal and professional consequences she faced due to the lawsuit, including restrictions on travel, damage to reputation, and lost opportunities in the international legal arena. She invoked Article 51 of the Constitution, asking whether the right to acquittal and presumption of innocence was reserved only for certain individuals.

She also clarified that she had long served as legal counsel to President Muizzu’s family, including representing his wife, and that her political affiliations were known even when the case remained in court. This, she said, proves that the President did not exert influence over the judiciary.

Azima’s brother, Athif Shakoor, also faced charges in the MMPRC scandal for failing to report suspicious transactions while heading the Financial Intelligence Unit at MMA. Those charges were previously dismissed. Athif currently serves as an advisor to MIFCO.

The MMPRC scandal, which involved the embezzlement of over USD 90 million through fraudulent island leases, led to multiple convictions. Yameen was sentenced to five years in 2019 over the Vodamula lease, later overturned by the Supreme Court in 2021. He was then sentenced to 11 years in 2022 for bribery and money laundering in the V. Aarah lease case, but the High Court quashed that conviction in April 2024, ordering a retrial.