Former parliament member Ahmed Nihan pressed with 6 charges in connection with the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) embezzlement and money laundering scandal.
He was pressed with 4 charges against bribery, and a charge pressed against money laundering. The Prosecutor General (PG) Office filed the charges against Nihan with the Criminal Court this Tuesday.
The charges pressed against Nihan include;
- Chargers pressed for accepting a bribe of USD 150,000 cheque from SOF Private Limited through former Tourism Minister Adeeb, in order to influence his decisions as a parliamentarian.
- Money laundering for obtaining a USD 150,000 bank cheque through Adeeb, given he should have suspected the funds he received from Adeeb would have been obtained through illegitimate means given his position as chair of Public Accounts Committee, and purchasing an apartment from the Platinum Residence with the funds.
- Pressed with the charge of asking for a bribe for asking Adeeb for a Rolex Submariner watch in connection to votes taken at the Parliament to select a Prosecutor General and a representative of the Parliament for Judicial Service Commission in 2014, and the charge of accepting a bribe for accepting the watch.
- Additional charges for asking for a bribe and charge of accepting a bribe for asking for and accepting MVR 650,000 from Adeeb in exchange for influence over his decisions as a parliamentarian.
Nihan was the opposition PPM parliamentary group leader during the presidency of Yameen Abdul Gayyoom. He left the party following the change in government and his defeat in the parliamentary elections in 2019 and joined the Jumhoory Party (JP) – a part of the government coalition.
He was pressed with 4 charges against bribery, and a charge pressed against money laundering. The Prosecutor General (PG) Office filed the charges against Nihan with the Criminal Court this Tuesday.
The charges pressed against Nihan include;
- Chargers pressed for accepting a bribe of USD 150,000 cheque from SOF Private Limited through former Tourism Minister Adeeb, in order to influence his decisions as a parliamentarian.
- Money laundering for obtaining a USD 150,000 bank cheque through Adeeb, given he should have suspected the funds he received from Adeeb would have been obtained through illegitimate means given his position as chair of Public Accounts Committee, and purchasing an apartment from the Platinum Residence with the funds.
- Pressed with the charge of asking for a bribe for asking Adeeb for a Rolex Submariner watch in connection to votes taken at the Parliament to select a Prosecutor General and a representative of the Parliament for Judicial Service Commission in 2014, and the charge of accepting a bribe for accepting the watch.
- Additional charges for asking for a bribe and charge of accepting a bribe for asking for and accepting MVR 650,000 from Adeeb in exchange for influence over his decisions as a parliamentarian.
Nihan was the opposition PPM parliamentary group leader during the presidency of Yameen Abdul Gayyoom. He left the party following the change in government and his defeat in the parliamentary elections in 2019 and joined the Jumhoory Party (JP) – a part of the government coalition.
