Fuggiri case: Verdict against former President Yameen set for the 29th of this month

The Criminal Court has concluded the trial of the charges brought by the state against former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom over the transaction to lease R. Fuggiri, and has scheduled the verdict for Sunday, the 29th of this month. The court announced the date for the verdict after both sides concluded presenting their summary statements in the case. At yesterday's hearing the state presented its summary statement, while today's hearing proceeded with the summary statement of Yameen's defense lawyers. Judge Ali Nadeem, who is hearing the case, said that after hearing the arguments of both sides, the verdict hearing has been scheduled for 9:00am on the 29th of this month. In the Fuggiri case, the state accuses Yameen of accepting a bribe and of money laundering. Initially six parties were charged in the case, but all the other parties have now been cleared in the matter. Accordingly, the charges brought against Ahmed Krik Riza, said to have acted as a middleman in the bribery, were withdrawn by the Prosecutor General's Office. And after the charges against Sun Construction and Sun Investment were not proven in court, the state decided not to appeal that case. In addition, no action has been taken against Classic Holdings, which took the island on lease, and no step was taken to acquire the island even when the company sold its share in the island to another party. Through MMPRC, Fuggiri was leased without a bid for 1.55 million dollars to Classic City Island Holdings, registered in the UAE. According to documents leaked internationally as the "Pandora Papers," the parties behind the transaction are two influential Indian businessmen: property developer Avenash Bosale and logistics businessman Amit Kumar Gandhi. The state alleges that large sums of money were exchanged as bribes in the transaction to lease the island. The article was published by One Online at 18:29 on 13 October 2026, under the byline of Mohamed Ishan.