Agreement for penthouse purchase made in Bassam's name

Despite his claims before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that the two penthouses allegedly bought with Football Association of Maldives (FAM) funds are not his, Mihaaru News has reported that the sale agreement for the properties was signed under the name of former FAM President Bassam Adeel Jaleel.

During the CAS hearing, Bassam said that he does not own any real estate and maintained that the properties in question were not registered in his name.

He had filed the case with CAS after being suspended by FIFA on charges of corruption. FIFA’s legal team submitted multiple allegations to support the suspension, with a claim involving two penthouses in Hulhumale' where Bassam had reportedly resided.

According to FIFA’s legal counsel, Bassam’s name appeared on a list of individuals who failed to pay maintenance fees for two penthouses and an additional apartment in the Amin Avenue complex. However, the list referenced a “Bassam Ali” instead of his full name, leading the CAS panel to conclude that there wasn’t enough evidence to definitively prove ownership.

Mihaaru News has reported that a purchase agreement for the penthouses; Units 1205A and 1206A of Block A in Amin Avenue was signed by Bassam himself. The documents also carried his fingerprints. The agreement also included a copy of Bassam’s national ID card and listed his name and address for correspondence, further indicating that the deal was made in his name.

Despite these revelations, Bassam continued to deny owning any property. However, a court order was issued to seize the two penthouses, and Bassam appealed to High Court in an attempt to overturn the seizure. The appeal was unsuccessful.

Police have since charged both Bassam and Amin Construction with money laundering. Authorities allege that the penthouses were bought using a USD 1 million portion of a USD 1.9 million covid-19 relief loan granted by FIFA to FAM, which was intended to assist football clubs during the pandemic.

Police suspect the funds were misused for the personal benefit of Bassam and that no equivalent payment in Maldivian rufiyaa was made to FAM by Amin Construction.

According to police, documents were forged to make it appear as though the payment from Amin had been completed. To legitimize the funds, FAM reportedly took a loan from another company to match the forged receipts.

As a result, both Bassam and Amin face charges of fraud, deception, and money laundering.