Maldives Police Service have begun investigating possible corruption involving senior club officials depositing funds from Football Association of Maldives (FAM) meant for the clubs to their personal accounts.
The officials have also been suspected of depositing these funds into bank accounts of companies of which they are shareholders.
In a message with local media, police said it has been investigating possible money laundering and corruption cases of misappropriating funds extended to FAM by foreign parties.
Among the cases being investigated involve a case of money transferred to a company owned by former FAM President Bassam Adeel Jaleel and to companies owned by other former officials who worked in the association.
Police said they were looking into potential corruption and mismanagement of subsidies by senior officials of sports clubs.
FAM began issuing subsidies to the clubs to improve their financial stability, which had initiated after the government stopped issuing sports subsidies. Besides this, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) had provided sponsors to clubs during former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration.
While Bassam is facing multiple counts of corruption tied misconduct and abuse of power as the FAM President, the Prosecutor General (PG) had requested to press charges against two others including Amin Construction.
Amin Construction is facing charges of money laundering and aiding money laundering under the Prevention of Terrorism Financing Act.
PG has also pressed charges against the former head of FAM’s accounts department, Mohamed Ageel and the Hassan Waheed who had filled various positions of the association – both are facing charges of aiding money laundering.
Hassan Waheed is also charged with aiding the purchase of an apartment for Bassam, for which he had allegedly transferred money to Amin Construction.
After PG had pressed charges of money laundering and corruption on Bassam, he was pressed with additional criminal charges in December last year.