The former president of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), Bassam Adeel Jaleel's second lawyer Ibrahim Shameel has withdrawn from representing him.

A media official from Criminal Court confirmed to One that the lawyer has withdrawn from the case and the Court has granted Bassam 10 days to appoint a new lawyer.

Bassam was initially accused of two counts of embezzlement and money laundering, prompting the state to pursue charges against him for fraud and money laundering.

The next hearing is scheduled for January 30, with the Court emphasizing that Bassam must respond to the charges, regardless of whether he secures legal representation by that date.

Two charges were filed in connection with Bassam's misappropriation of funds given to FAM by various parties while he was the president of the association, and for laundering money by transferring funds donated by foreign parties in US dollars to the accounts of FAM executives, associated individuals, and companies for improper use.

The embezzlement charge was filed for Bassam's misappropriation of USD 1.2 million from FAM to deposit for purchasing an apartment from Ameen Avenue by Ameen Construction. The punishment for this offense is imprisonment for one year, seven months, and six days.

The money laundering charge was filed for signing an agreement to purchase two apartments from Ameen Avenue and transferring money from FAM's dollar account to various companies as payment for booking fees and commitment fees, totaling MVR 23 million including GST, which was then paid to Ameen Construction.

The punishment for this offense is a fine between MVR 100,000 and MVR 1 million, along with imprisonment for 5 to 15 years.

The PG Office said that in connection with these charges, they have also requested the court to order Bassam to pay $1.2 million as compensation for the damages caused to FAM and to confiscate the two Ameen Avenue apartments acquired using the laundered money.

Bassam was also charged with embezzlement and money laundering in this case in January 2024.