High Court instructs revision of Yameen’s appeal petition

The High Court has instructed former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to revise the appeal petition he lodged with the court over his 11-year prison sentence for money laundering and bribery in connection to the sale of V. Aarah for resort development.

An official from the High Court confirmed to Sun on Thursday that Yameen’s lawyers have been asked to revise the appeal petition.

Yameen’s lawyers were not immediately available for comment regarding the situation.

The instructions by the court to revise the petition comes amid concern from the opposition over the delay in appeal.

Leaders from the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC) had tried unsuccessfully to meet with the court’s registrar to discuss the delay in the appeal the last three days.

 PNC’s leader Abdul Raheem Abdulla alleges the delay is proof of government’s influence.

Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined USD 5 million on December 25, 2022, after he was found guilty of money laundering and bribery in connection to the sale of V. Aarah for resort development. The conviction was appealed with the High Court on February 12.

Yameen, who is the opposition PPM-PNC coalition’s presidential candidate, needs to win the appeal in order to be eligible for the presidential election in September.

The sentence against him had come a year after he was acquitted after getting convicted of similar charges in 2019.