Yameen charged for stealing money

Colombo: Maldives’ former president Abdulla Yameen, who is accused of using money stolen from state coffers, was charged with money laundering on Wednesday, according to a local media report. The case stems from an allegedly shady deal to lease islands for tourist resort development and the discovery of $1 million in his bank account. The case has been filed at the criminal court, the Prosecutor General’s office tweeted on Wednesday. Yameen, who lost presidential election to Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in September 2018 after a five-year rule, is accused of using money stolen from state coffers, police said, The Maldives Independent reported. Separate charges were sought over false testimony to the Anti-Corruption Commission during its investigation into the theft of $90 million from the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, paper said.