MALE, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Former President of the Maldives Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was acquitted of money laundering by the Supreme Court of Maldives on Tuesday, local media reported.
Yameen was accused of illegally receiving 1 million U.S. dollars to his personal account from a private company and convicted for money laundering by the criminal court in November 2019.
He was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay 5 million dollars in compensation to the state.
Yameen's conviction was upheld by the Higher Court, after which his defense appealed to the Supreme Court. Appellate hearings began in September and were concluded on Nov. 5.
An additional hearing was held on Nov. 18, and the verdict was announced on Tuesday.
The bench said it could not be proven that the money posted to Yameen's personal account was originally intended to go to a state institution.
Yameen currently has two other money laundering charges against him, for which trials are still proceeding. Enditem
