Former Maldives President Abdulla Yameen has been sentenced by a Criminal court to a 11 year prison term and fined him $5 million after finding him guilty of corruption and money laundering charges related to receiving kickbacks from a private company.
He lost power in 2018 but has been declared presidential candidate for the Progressive Party of the Maldives for an election due in 2023.
Already in 2019 he was sentenced to five years in jail and fined $5 million in 2019 for embezzling $1 million in state funds, which the prosecution said was acquired through the lease of resort development rights.
After his sentencing, Yameen was shifted to house arrest in 2020 and was freed months later.
Yameen has denied any wrongdoing.
Aftr his release, Yameen, the half-brother of former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has returned to active politics with a campaign against Indian influence in Maldives, raising concerns in New Delhi.
Former Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, Nishantha Wickramasinghe, arrested on allegation of corruption by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has been remanded until July 1 by the Colombo Magistrate court.
Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Stabilization and NPP National List MP Harshana Suriyapperuma who is tipped to be named the next Finance Ministry Secretary resigned from Parliament today.
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