Former President of the Maldives Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom has said there is no protection for him if his money-laundering trials are not live-streamed.
The State raised money laundering and bribery against the former President, as he is suspected of having deposited funds from the sale of V. Aarah to his personal account and laundering the funds. Former Felidhoo MP Yoosuf Naeem is also being tried alongside Yameen on bribery charges. The trial began at the Criminal Court on January 2. Yameen's representatives have requested to live-stream the hearings on multiple occasions. However, the Judge had said the court lacked the necessary resources at this time, including human resources, and said the court would try to facilitate the arrangements.
A hearing was held on Thursday where the defense presented evidence supporting their innocence.
Before the hearing began, Yameen's lead counsel, Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, reiterated the defense's request to live-stream the hearings. The defense inquired regarding the progress in making the arrangements and said there was no protection for Yameen if the trials were not aired on live TV.
The Judge said the arrangements had not been made and expressed hope that the arrangements would be facilitated if the case could be tried as a civil matter. While the case is open to the public, the media also attends the hearings, the Judge noted.
'This case is an open case. Even the media attends [the hearings]. The media's criticism of how the trial proceeds may affect the trial's outcome. Therefore, the court does not believe a third party can comment on the speed of the trial,' the Judge said.
