Saturday
20th Apr 2024
Dhivehi Edition
Former President of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Muavviz Rasheed has revealed that he was pressured to testify against former President Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
Dhiyares has acquired an audio clip of former ACC President Muavviz stating that he was pressured to testify against President Yameen in a case where he was convicted of money laundering and sentenced to five years in prison. Muavviz divulged to a friend that he did not testify against the former president, but attended court when summoned as he resides in the Maldives.
Muavviz claimed that if he refused to attend court to testify, he may have been prosecuted for a fabricated charge. He said that his name was included in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption list and that he may be held responsible since he has left after working for ten years.
He also confessed that the money in President Yameen’s account was not determined to be from the MMPRC corruption, and the USD 1 million deposited in his account was not confirmed to be the state’s money. However, he revealed that the former president himself proposed the USD 1 million to be transferred to an escrow account due to the possibility that an issue may arise.
When his friend asked whether he told anyone that the money was from the MMPRC corruption, Muavviz stated that he has not. He added that he did not write a letter to police claiming that the USD 1 million in the former president’s account belongs to the state.
He also disclosed that statements taken from witnesses in the United Kingdom were against legal procedures. He stated that they are the true culprits of the MMPRC scandal, and that statements were taken from those assigned as witnesses by entering the country on a tourist visa, which is illegal.
Muavviz feared he was in danger of being prosecuted for a fabricated charge if he refused to testify.
The former ACC President reiterated that the money in President Yameen’s account must not have been declared as the state’s without questioning those who transferred the money, and revealed that those residing in the UK who deposited money in President Yameen’s account were not questioned. He said that the investigation into the case remains incomplete as they have yet to be questioned.
He believes the charges against President Yameen were political, in order to “get rid of” the former president. He assured that the ACC’s investigation was in no way influenced by President Yameen. Muavviz also stated that the most important thing for the current government is to prevent the former president from competing in the 2023 elections.