State moves to block Yameen’s evidence in Aarah retrial

The State requested the Criminal Court Tuesday to reject the defense evidence submitted by former President Abdulla Yameen, which was intended to prove that the USD 1 million deposited into his account, alleged by the State to be a bribe from the lease transaction of V. Aarah, was obtained through a currency exchange transaction.

In this ongoing trial where charges have been brought against Yameen and former Member of Parliament Yoosuf Naeem, the defense witnesses and evidence submitted on behalf of Yameen include:

• Ahmed Nareesh (Former Deputy Mayor of Male' / Advisor to the Youth Minister)

• Abdulla Rasheed

• Mohamed Ismail (Member of Parliament for the Vilimale' Constituency)

• Mohamed Shahid (Member of Parliament for the Hulhudhoo Constituency)

• Documentation indicating the foreign exchange transaction

At Tuesday’s hearing, Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office attorney Ahmed Shafeeu stated that after Yameen exercised his right to remain silent during the investigation phase, defense evidence not disclosed at that time cannot be accepted by the court. Citing Article 47 of the Criminal Procedure Act, the attorney noted that if the information provided by a suspect cannot be used as evidence against them, that information must be disclosed during the investigation. The State also asserted that the defendant must provide a justifiable reason for exercising the right to remain silent and not disclosing the information during the investigation.

Responding to the State’s arguments, Yameen stated that he remained silent during the investigation stage because the document presented by the police was a bank document, and he did not believe it to be authentic. He further stated at Tuesday's hearing that he had decided at the time that he would only address that document in court.

Yameen’s trials resumed Tuesday after nearly a year without hearings being held at the Criminal Court.