Male’, Maldives – Former Vice President of Maldives, Ahmed Adeeb (Bro) has made a plea agreement with the government on the seven charges filed against him for a jail sentence of 20 years over the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) scandal which cost the government more then MVR 4 Billion.
This was reveled by the public prosecutors during today’s hearing at Criminal Court on the seven charges brought up against Former Vice President Adeeb. The seven charges relating to the MMPRC corruption scandal are two charges of money laundering, two charges of embezzlement, two charges of using the power of authority for illicit gains and abuse of official position for personal gain.
Former Vice President Adeeb has confessed to all seven charges which have been brought upon him in the plea deal which he has made with the government to serve 20 years in prison and with a fine of one million Rufiya. When the judge questioned him about this plea deal he said that he had no objection to it and that he was willing to cooperate with the government during today’s hearing.
The judge announced that Former Vice President Adeeb has been found guilty to all charges and that his sentencing would be carried out this evening. Although he was set to be in jail until sentencing, given his medical conditions he has been allowed to be at house arrest until sentencing.
Former Vice President Adeeb who was well known as “Bro” was the most influential minister during the previous administration who rose within the political ranks to be Vice President of the Maldives after an orchestrated no confidence vote of the then Vice President Mohamed Jameel Ahmed who is now again back in the opposition PPM as an advisor. Adeeb was accused of using state funds which he and his close allies embezzled which he used to bribe politicians, judges and others in high positions in different institutions when he was in the government and he was also well known for funding local gangs.
He was first arrested during the previous administration under the charges of money laundering and trying to kill then-President Abdulla Yameen in 2015 and spent three years in jail before he was transferred to house arrest while at which he tried to flee to India on a tugboat as a stowaway in April 2019 and got arrested by the Indian authorities.
