Attorney General’s Office has sent evidential statements to Presidential Commission and Maldives Police Service indicating former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom and former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb were tied up in money laundering.
A statement released by the Attorney General's Office indicated main ruling party, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) submitted several documents dating back to 2014, that confirm suspicious transactions were carried out or planned to be carried out by former President Yameen, former Vice President Adeeb and other then senior government officials.
The statements added the documents submitted to Attorney General's Office by MDP were compiled after analysing data collected from cell phones which belonged to Adeeb, by an international fraud investigation firm, revealing MDP also submitted the investigative report compiled by the firm along with supporting documents. The forensic imaging was done on the data obtained by a data recovery and intelligence firm authorised by the Home Office of the United Kingdom, according to Attorney General's Office.
Furthermore, Attorney General’s Office said reviewing the documents showed the probability of charges of bribery and corruption in addition to money laundering over those involved in the scandal. The documents were forwarded to Presidential Commission of Corruption and Asset Recovery on January 15, said the Attorney General’s Office.
Moreover, in the statement, the Attorney General’s Office revealed the documents have also been shared with Maldives Police Service to launch a criminal investigation into the suspects involved in the case, and to protect evidence in order to prepare for trial.
Meanwhile, Maldives Police Service is currently investigating a money laundering case related to former President Yameen. So far, he has been summoned and questioned three times.