The Prosecutor General’s Office has demanded that former Villimale MP Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik’s ill-gotten assets, including a Rolex watch and a luxury residence, be confiscated over money laundering charges.
Nihan is suspected of seeking and accepting a bribe from former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, as well as money laundering while chairing the parliament’s Public Accounts Committee. The PG Office filed six charges in connection with the case at the Criminal Court. The State also sought that Nihan’s assets be confiscated during the hearing, including his opulent Platinum Residences apartment and a Rolex watch.
According to the PG Office, Nihan purchased the Platinum Residences apartment with the USD 150,000 bribe he got from Adeeb. The PG Office also claimed Nihan accepted the money despite knowing it was ill-gotten funds from Adeeb.
Furthermore, the PG Office alleged that Nihan requested a Rolex watch from Adeeb in exchange for the appointment of Prosecutor General and Judiciary Service Commission members in 2014. Additionally, the PG Office stated that Nihan accepted a bribe of MVR 650,000 from Adeeb, which the State demanded be seized during the hearing.
PG Hussain Shameem tweeted on Tuesday that the State had requested the confiscation of MVR 70.7 million in connection with money laundering.