The Criminal Court has sentenced former Football Association of Maldives (FAM) president Bassam Adeel Jaleel to four years in prison after finding him guilty of embezzling funds provided by FIFA.

The court ruled that Bassam had diverted USD 10,000 sent by FIFA to FAM in 2018 into his personal account. Documents presented during the hearings, which concluded last month, showed that USD 9,999 was deposited into his account after bank fees were deducted. Prosecutors argued that the money was not part of his allowance as FAM president and had never been transferred to the association’s account.

Bassam defended himself by claiming the transfer was a currency exchange transaction and argued the funds were intended as accumulated allowances. However, the court determined that there was sufficient evidence to prove embezzlement. His lawyer maintained that embezzlement and money laundering are separate charges and argued there was no evidence linking Bassam to document preparation or the actual withdrawal of funds.

While Bassam has now been convicted of embezzlement, sentencing on a related money laundering charge is still pending. He also faces additional corruption allegations, including claims of private use of land allocated for football development projects.