Police on Sunday entered the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) office at the Maldives National Stadium in Malé, looking to gather evidence in connection with an investigation into the local footballing body.
According to the court order authorising the police’s search and seizure action, the police will look for key evidence including bank documents, as well as financial statements of companies and individuals, and other financial transactions such as payment receipts and other information relating to transactions, including those held on storage devices such as hard drives.
The Criminal Court held FAM President Bassam Adheel Jaleel’s passport on 20 May as the Prosecutor General (PG) charged Jaleel in connection to the misappropriation of funds allocated to the FAM by the world’s top footballing body FIFA — Jaleel has been charged with fraud and money laundering.
The charges against Jaleel alleges that he sent US dollars from his Bank of Ceylon (BOC) account to his own Bank of Maldives (BML) account by representing, through allegedly falsified documentation, the transaction to the banks as a currency exchange.
Meanwhile, there is no supporting documentation that the exchanged money was deposited to the FAM.
Of the US$9,999 FIFA allocation, US$1,910 was deposited into someone else’s account and then into the account of Glacier Investment—in which Jaleel and his spouse have a stake—which was then used for personal expenses, the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) said in a statement. The money was used to pay rent on the Rehendhi Flats apartment where Jaleel lived.
The prosecution aims to recover US$10,000 from Jaleel.
Jaleel, if convicted of the current charges, could spend five to 15 years in prison, and be fine between US$10,000 and US$1 million.
Police, however, are also investigating other cases of fraud against Jaleel, which if proven, could potentially add to the jail-time and fines.
