Bassam Adeel Jaleel, the former President of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), has been sentenced to 23 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of MVR 44 million. The Criminal Court delivered this verdict after finding him guilty on two charges related to the embezzlement of USD 1.2 million granted by FIFA, the world football governing body.
The prosecution had sought the maximum possible penalty against Bassam for the misappropriation of funds originally provided by FIFA as COVID-19 relief loans intended for football clubs.
Bassam is already serving a nine-year prison sentence following previous convictions. These include a four-year term for embezzlement of FAM funds and a five-year term for money laundering.
The Criminal Court’s proceedings established that Bassam utilized the COVID-19 relief funds to purchase two penthouses at Amin Avenue. According to the prosecution, funds were withdrawn from FAM under the pretext of currency exchange (USD to MVR) and subsequently transferred to Amin Construction for the acquisition of the luxury apartments.
The total 23-year sentence consists of 15 years for money laundering and 8 years for embezzlement.
In the same case, the state had also filed charges against Amin Construction; however, the company was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Notably, the apartments purchased by Bassam were handed over to the Maldives Police Service in October 2024 following a court order. Although Bassam’s legal team attempted to appeal the seizure order at the High Court, the court decided not to accept the case.
