Former president of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), Bassam Adeel Jaleel, has been sentenced to an additional 23 years in prison and fined MVR 44 million in connection with the misuse of FIFA funds.

The Criminal Court found Bassam guilty of embezzlement and money laundering involving USD 1.2 million provided to FAM by FIFA as a COVID-19 relief loan. The funds were intended to support the association during the pandemic.

According to the prosecution, the money was withdrawn from FAM accounts and used for personal expenditure, including payments linked to the purchase of two penthouse apartments on Amin Avenue. The court heard that the misuse of the funds led to serious financial difficulties for FAM, including unpaid staff salaries and the need to secure additional loans.

Presiding judge Mohamed Misbah noted that the offences had placed a significant financial burden on the association and ruled that a heavier sentence was warranted due to the scale and consequences of the misconduct.

The State had initially sought to seize the apartments allegedly linked to the case. However, this request was withdrawn after the court found there was insufficient evidence to prove the properties were purchased directly using the embezzled funds. Prosecutors instead pursued recovery of the laundered money.

The court heard that Bassam had paid approximately MVR 5.7 million towards the apartment purchase within a 61-day period. He was subsequently ordered to pay a fine equivalent to five times the amount laundered, totalling around MVR 44 million.

With the latest sentence, Bassam’s total prison term now stands at 32 years, following multiple convictions related to the case.