Yamin decides to bring a lawsuit at Singapore against allegations of corruption

Abdullah Yamin, Member of Parliament for Mulaku Constituency and Parliamentary Group Leader for Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has said that he would file a lawsuit at Singapore against the allegations of corruption against him made by former President Mohamed Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

According to the allegations, Yamin was involved in a corruption case of smuggling 800 million USD worth of oil. The allegations surfaced through a news report published in an Indian newspaper, by a journalist who had been known to have had a long and close friendship with former President Nasheed. According to the allegations, Yamin, the then Chairman of the State Trading Organization (STO) and the then President Maumoon Abdul Qayyoom involved in a fraudulent dealing of selling oil, bought by STO at a cheap price to Burma at a higher price.

Speaking at a live program at DhiTV tonight, Yamin said that he would initiate a lawsuit as soon as investigation reports on the matter are complete.

Yamin said that Grant Thornton, a law firm assigned to investigate the matter by former President Nasheed’s Administration, had not delivered any reports, and that the only thing it had submitted was something titled “Draft for Discussion”. Yamin said that he tried to bring a lawsuit at a Singaporean Court on the basis of that document, and that the idea was dropped after his lawyers at Singapore advised him that a suit could not be build on the basis of that document.

“I am waiting for the final reports of investigations. I discuss the matter with my Singaporean lawyers whenever I go there. I want to take these people to court, and God willing, I will file the case at a Singaporean court. However, I cannot do that with this draft document. I have been advised that Grant Thornton prepared that document for its client and that it is not an official report. Grant Thornton has not yet submitted any signed, official and stamped document to the Maldivian Government or President Nasheed”, said Yamin.

Yamin said that he filed the case with the Singapore Supreme Court during the administration of Nasheed, though the case was later taken back. Yamin also said that the allegations against him are baseless lies, concocted without any foundation, and that former Auditor General Mohamed Naeem went to Singapore twice to gather “evidence” about the matter, only to find nothing at all.

“I want to clear my name in this matter. I will not start a suit here. I will only get MRF4000. I will file a case at Singapore, and I will do it as soon as the report is published. I do not think they will even publish that report”, said Yamin.