Former Maldives leader Abdulla Yameen has denied allegations of money laundering and embezzlement (Ahmed SHURAU)

Colombo (AFP) – A Maldivian court Thursday announced it was summoning former strongman leader Abdulla Yameen to a preliminary hearing into allegations that he embezzled millions of dollars while in office.

The Criminal Court in the capital Male said it has ordered Yameen to be present on Sunday to formally receive the charges that were filed by prosecutors on Wednesday following a police investigation. 

Maldivian police say they have found evidence linking Yameen and his justice minister Azima Shakoor to the theft of state funds and money laundering.

The authorities believe millions of dollars could be stashed abroad and have said talks are underway with foreign entities to repatriate any cash found.

Yameen suffered a shock defeat in the September presidential elections to Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who won on a pledge to tackle corruption.

There was no immediate comment from Yameen, but he attended a closed-door hearing at the High Court Thursday to support his appeal against the freezing of some $6.5 million worth of his deposits in local banks.

In December, courts in the tourist paradise froze some $6.5 million in accounts allegedly linked to Yameen. 

The High Court is yet to make its decision known on unfreezing Yameen’s cash in several local banks.

Yameen, who came to power in 2013 and jailed many of his opponents or forced them into exile, has also been accused of receiving close to $1.5 million in illicit payments during his failed bid for re-election.

The country’s monetary authority lodged a police complaint over alleged donations made into a private account held by Yameen in the runup to the polls.

The former strongman president — who has been questioned but not detained — has denied the allegations.

Yameen remains politically active. But since his downfall, almost all key dissidents have returned to the country and been cleared of convictions against them.

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