Yameen Pleased with Supreme Court's Thorough Questioning, Requests a Just Decision

Former President, Yameen Abdul Gayyoom, said that he was pleased that judges had questioned him so thoroughly to understand the case better and that he wished for the case to be concluded in the service of justice. The former president made this statement during a hearing of the appeal of his Criminal Court verdict at the Supreme Court.

During the summary statement granted to the former president, he said that the High Court had not questioned him thoroughly enough to better understand the the details of the case. The former president noted that the Supreme Court judges had questioned him and his legal team very thoroughly, and that this pleased him. He also pointed out that none of the judges on the Criminal Court's bench; after it had been controversially changed mid-trial; had asked him any questions about the case.

The former president commented that although the final phase of the Criminal Court trial was not one for summoning and questioning witnesses, he believed that newly-assigned judges should have posed questions to him about the finer details of the case.

Former President Yameen mentioned points on how the investigation into his case had been carried out. He mentioned that Muavviz Rasheed, the former Vice President; later President; of the Anti-Corruption Commission, had never posed any questions to him during the course of their investigation.

He also mentioned that although Muavviz Rasheed claimed to have been threatened about the suspicious funds that had entered the former president's bank account; the prosecution had neglected to submit the minutes of that meeting with the ACC as evidence. The President's Office, likewise, did not co-operate with any of the requests lodged to see the presidential appointment log.

He also noted that although the State had alleged that he was a part of a crime syndicate with Ahmed Adeeb and Mohamed Ziyath, the State had failed to prove their claim. He further pointed out that the State's failure to prove his participation in a "crime syndicate" nullified the credibility of Adeeb and Ziyath's testimony against him.

The former president also noted that the State had failed to explain to him how exactly he had committed the crime of which he was charged. He pointed out that the suspicious funds that had entered his account were still there, unused. He denied having done anything to obscure the origins of those funds.

He further pointed out that he was deprived of several of his rights. He pointed out that the delays in the investigation into the leaked audio-recordings of High Court judges were closely related to a denial of his rights. He also requested that the judges in question provide audio samples to allow for the verification of the leaked audio-recordings.

He also pointed out that the State had decided to not press charges against other individuals who had received funds from SOF Pvt Ltd, claiming that such transactions had been legitimate. The former president requested the judges' to keep that in mind and to decide in service of justice.