Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that the charges sent to court by the Prosecutor General's office is simply a political scare tactic.

The Prosecutor General's office had submitted charges of money laundering against former President Abdulla Yameen to the Criminal Court today.  The charges are concerning the investigation into corruption at Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).

In an interview with One Online today, President Yameen said that a defense will certainly be presented at court. He added that that there is absolutely no doubt that the move to submit charges in court is a political scare tactic.

While Maldives Police Services (MPS) has submitted charges of money laundering against former President Abdulla Yameen, MPS had submitted charges concerning case of corruption at the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) last weekend. MPS revealed in the statement last weekend that information and evidence acquired by investigation into MMPRC case had pointed to President Yameen acquiring USD 1 million transferred to his account at MIB by SOF Pvt. Ltd. The statement reiterated that MPS had further probed the issue.

The statement by MPS had revealed that while President Yameen had been asked to return the funds to the State by Police, he has not done so.

MPS had also noted that President Yameen had further transferred the funds into multiple accounts at MIB under his name and utilized funds to acquire financial benefits.