The prosecution had sought an order to keep seven witnesses confidential in the fraud and money laundering case against former Football Association of Maldives (FAM) president Bissam Adil Jalil.

Today, the Criminal Court held a preliminary hearing on the charges against Bassam. The prosecution requested that bank statements for seven accounts at the Bank of Maldives (BML) be kept confidential. These statements pertain to individuals who deposited USD 9,999 from an account opened in FAM's name at the Bank of Ceylon into an account in Bassam's name at BML.

The prosecution argued that confidentiality is necessary to ensure the evidence is considered properly by the defense in the presence of the prosecution and to prevent the defense from disclosing it publicly.

However, Bassam's lawyer, Ibrahim Shameel, opposed the motion, stating he was unaware of any prior application for an evidence protection order by the prosecution. Judge Ismail Shafiu indicated that the issue of evidence protection would be addressed in the next hearing and noted that the defense would submit the required form after today’s session.

Earlier, Shameel requested clearer copies of some documents provided by the prosecution. The judge informed that the prosecutor’s office has until the 23rd of this month to supply these documents. If the defense does not receive them by then, they may file a pre-trial motion.

The judge concluded today’s hearing by scheduling a follow-up session later this month.