Maldives national bank, Bank of Maldives (BML) has responded to accusations pinned on local banks by former President Abdulla Yameen regarding the massive case of graft involving Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) deemed the largest case of corruption in Maldives history.
Speaking at a press conference at his Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) office, Yameen had accused local banks of having a hand in the MMPRC embezzlement case, asserting that banks must be held accountable for it.
“Why transfer a cross cheque given to MMPRC to other accounts? Bank officials must be aware of such transactions. Is SoF a private or government company? These things have been carried out through banks, and they must be held accountable to some extent” Yameen queried.
SOF Private Limited, commonly known as Scores of Flair, allegedly played a large role in the scandal, and have since filed the case regarding the money transferred to Yameen’s account.
Refuting the former President’s claims, an official at BML stated that discussions regarding the money owes to the state, were carried out under the legal mandate and that the bank always follows the international best practices when it comes to banking.
“We give our assurance that the bank has not carried out anything illegal” said the official.
However, the official had not shared further details as investigations into the case are still ongoing.
Over USD one billion was embezzled from the state during Yameen’s administration in the MMPRC embezzlement scandal deemed to be the largest case of graft in the Maldives history.
His Vice President Ahmed Adeeb had at court, stated that USD 80 million was taken to Yameen’s home, “Dhoovehi” and counted by a Bangladeshi who is specifically hired to count Yameen’s cash. Although Yameen admitted that some of the embezzled cash had gone to his home, he has accused Adeeb of being behind it.
Although having admitted to receiving stolen funds, Yameen later backtracked on them, stating that he never received the stolen funds at home. He has since stated that his alleged involvement in the case cannot be proven. The former President also stated that he had personally taken action against all corruption cases reported to him, with the cases having been investigated on his order while other investigative bodies “ignored them”.
On the 19th of November, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had confiscated USD one million from Yameen’s Islamic Bank account in relation to the embezzlement case, with the commission later having stated that they had recovered the total amount from the former President, in early December.
The commission has since stated that due to many of those alleged to be involved in the case having fled the country, the progress in the case is slow. Despite the Interpol issuing a red notice for the suspects, authorities have been unable to get the suspects back to Maldives for questioning.
The Interpol issued red notices for Hussain Mohamed, Ishfah Ali, Ah'laam Latheef, Wisham Mohamed, and Aseel Ahmed.
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This is an illegal act. The Maldives Constitution clearly states the provisions for announcing a State of Emergency and we have not got such a condition. Dictator Yameen has gone over the limited and clearly suspended the Constitution as a whole by removing vested powers in the Parliament and the Supreme Court.
The country is going down the drain.