The Criminal Court has concluded the hearings of the appeal against the 11-year jail sentence handed down to former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom after being found guilty of corruption and money laundering.

The High Court today gave the opportunity to the prosecution to speak on behalf of Yameen and Yusuf Naeem, who was charged with bribery with him. Each of them was given 30 minutes to make their final statement.

During the hearing, Yameen's lawyer, Dr, Mohamed Jameel noted that it has already proven that the evidence submitted by the state is inconclusive. In addition to that, he noted that the fact that former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb and Former MMPRC MD Abdulla Ziyath's plea deal with the government raises questions about their testimonies.

At the hearing, the prosecution counsel said the Criminal Court judge knew that President Yameen was silent during the investigation phase but he was given the opportunity to present evidence. The prosecution added that even though the President had stated that the transaction was a currency exchange, no substantial evidence was submitted to prove this.

Deputy Mayor Ahmed Nareesh, who testified on behalf of President Yameen, testified in two ways, including that he counted the money by hand. The prosecution also said that although a person in the position of President cannot do any more work to earn income, by the end of his five-year term, millions of rufiyaa had entered his account.

Concluding the hearings, High Court Judge Hassan Shafiu said the cases are being examined by the court and if there is no need to present the two parties to clarify anything, the case can be scheduled for judgment.