$6.5 m of Maldives’ ex-President frozen

Colombo, December 16

Former Maldives President Abdulla Yameen is under investigation for corruption, police said after a court ordered accounts holding $6.5 million to be frozen.

Yameen, who was defeated in a September election, was questioned by the police on Saturday. He has been dogged by allegations that he received close to $1.5 million in illicit payments during his failed bid for re-election in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.

The country’s monetary authority has lodged a police complaint about the alleged donations made into a private account held by Yameen in two suspicious tranches, local media reported.

The former strongman, who ruled the popular holiday islands with an iron fist, jailing or exiling his opponents, has denied the allegations.

Yameen relied heavily on China for political and financial support in the nation of 3.4 lakh Sunni Muslims, troubling neighbouring India.

But Yameen’s defeat to Ibrahim Mohamed Solih signalled something of a reset, with the new President accusing China of a land grab in the Maldives and turning to India for help.

Solih arrived in New Delhi on Sunday on his first official visit abroad since assuming office. He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

Yameen’s five-year tenure was marked by the jailing of all key rivals, most of whom have returned to the country after his toppling. —AFP