Yamin responds defiantly to charges of corruption

Abdullah Yamin, former President Maumoon Abdul Qayyoom’s brother and leader of the People’s Alliance (PA) has defiantly replied to charges of corruption against him and his brother. He said that the alleged smuggling of USD800 million worth of oil was a legal transaction, and that his accusers might bring USD800 million worth of documents to prove otherwise and still would just fail in their claims.

Mohamed “Thimarafushi” Musthafa, MP for Thimarafushi constituency, outspoken opponent of Yamin’s brother’s presidency and ruling Maldivian Democratic Party member, proposed a resolution to the Majlis calling for investigations of the alleged corruption. Responding to Musthafa’s resolution in the Majlis, Yamin said that one should have to prove that buying goods from one country and selling it to another country was smuggling in a court of law, before claiming so.

Yamin said that no such illegal acts would be tolerated in Singapore, and that the allegations against him and his brother was “cooked up by using a journalist” and that it was a cowardly game. He also questioned about the purpose of the resolution proposed to the Majlis by Musthafa.

Yamin said that the trade transaction which has been alleged by his accusers as smuggling was a valid trade transaction conducted in Singapore. He also said that if one linked every corruption in the state during the presidency of his brother Maumoon, then all the corruption currently taking place should likewise be linked to President Mohamed Nasheed.

“If they dare to investigate the issue, then I urge them to do so. I encourage them to do so. I have to say that I am impatient to see them do it. Put USD800 million worth of documents against me on one end of the scale, and still I challenge that they can prove nothing. When we left the government, we did not take files home”, Yamin said.

In this whole affair, I am here to take all responsibilities, and the President back then should not be held liable. If not, President Nasheed should be brought onto the stand with regards to all allegations of corruption”, Yamin also said, referring to the claims that Maumoon, his brother, should be liable for his alleged corruption.

Yamin said that Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik had tried to make a list of all parties in all parts of the world with whom the Maldivian government had entered with any trade transactions, and that the government should have that list. “State Trading Organization traded with various parties all over the world, and there is no way in which one can say those transactions were illegal”, Yamin said. He then asked why the government never dared to publish the list made after the findings of the Vice President

“That list contains information on the assets of those who now aid the MDP government. It does not have any information about anyone else. I know that the World Bank has assigned for this issue a lawyer by the name of Jude Long, under the Stolen Asset Recovery Program. This was a man who was deported by the previous government of the Maldives, and he was prohibited to enter the country. Now, he has a seat in Nasheed’s Presidential Commision, and he is salaried from the government budget”, Yamin said.

Yamin said that Jude Long went to Singapore to investigate the issue, and brought proof to show that Mr. Long was now working as a consultant for Maldives National Oil Company, a venture run by State Trading Organization in Singapore now. Yamin also said that the government had paid USD1 million to one Gran Thornton, a forensic auditor, to investigate the issue, and that he wasn’t able to find anything either. Yamin said that these people prolonged matters, after being salaried from the Maldivian budget.

Yamin closed his case, saying “If you dare, then come, investigate the case”.