A court in the Maldives has ordered the country’s former President Abdulla Yameen be held in state custody until the end of a trial on money laundering charges, according to local media. Aljazeera reported Yameen was taken to a remand centre on Maafushi, an island near the Maldives’ capital, Male, a police spokesperson said. The 59-year-old was charged with money laundering last week over claims he received $1m, stolen from state coffers in the country’s biggest-ever corruption scandal. Police say a private company that laundered more than $79m in tourism revenues deposited the money to Yameen’s private account at the Maldives Islamic Bank. In December, the police said authorities froze Yameen’s bank accounts and seized more than 100 million rufiyaas ($6m) in US dollars and local currency.

Source: Nigerian Tribune February 18, 2019 14:15 UTC