Former FAM chief Bassam surrenders apartments to police amid corruption probe

Bassam Adeel Jaleel, the embattled former president of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), has surrendered two apartments he owns at a luxury apartment complex in Hulhumale’ – apartments that the police believe were purchased using funds embezzled from the FAM.

Bassam was instructed by the police to surrender the two apartments at Amin Avenue by 12:00 am Wednesday – after giving him an additional 24 hours on the original deadline.

A police spokesperson said on Wednesday that both apartments were handed over to the police by the deadline.

“Hulhumale lot number N2-25’s Block A’s number A1205 and A1206 apartments were handed over to the police at 12:00 am,” said the spokesperson.

The police did not provide any further details.

The police investigation uncovered that in 2021, Bassam embezzled USD 1 million out of an USD 1.9 million loan provided by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to disburse funds to football clubs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He used the funds to purchase two apartments from Amin Avenue.

The payments to Amin Construction – the developer of Amin Avenue - were made in three installments.

Investigators also found a fake paper trial was set up to make it appear like an equivalent amount of Maldivian Rufiyaa was transferred to FAM’s bank account to replace the embezzled USD 1 million.

The police have asked for criminal charges against Bassam, Amin Construction, FAM’s then-finance head Mohamed Aqeel, and Hassan Waheed (Dhona), another former FAM official.

Bassam, Aqeel and Dhona are suspected of embezzlement, fraud and money laundering.

On June 20, FIFA suspended Bassam for nine months over the allegations against him.

Bassam also faces more charges as the police investigate additional cases related to corruption within the FAM.

He has repeatedly denied the allegations against him.

The police launched the investigation into the FAM on October 22, 2023, on special orders from the then-prosecutor general Hussain Shameem.