The Criminal Court today ruled that five charges raised by the state against the former Managing Director of Maldives Gas Pvt Ltd, Abdullah Maumoon, accusing him of accepting bribes while in office, were not proven. These charges were filed against Maumoon alleging that he accepted money as bribes in 2016, during former President Abdullah Yameen’s administration, while serving as the head of Maldives Gas.

While the state raised a total of seven charges against him in this case, two of those charges were previously determined to be proven, and a jail sentence of 12 years, 9 months, and 18 days was already delivered. However, regarding the remaining five charges, the presiding judge at today’s hearing decided that the elements of those charges were not proven against Maumoon. The core of this case is linked to allegations that he accepted 3.1 million Rufiyaa as bribes during a transaction to procure cooking gas (LPG) needed for Maldives Gas from a foreign company.

The charges raised by the state included serious allegations such as accepting bribes, using official position to confer undue advantage, attempting to commit a crime, soliciting a crime, and conspiracy to commit a crime. Although Maumoon was cleared of five charges today, the two cases previously proven, for which a jail sentence was issued, were submitted to the High Court for appeal last December.