The Maldives police have formally requested criminal charges against Bassam Adeel Jaleel, the former president of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), following allegations of embezzlement and money laundering. Bassam is accused of misappropriating funds intended to support football clubs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Chief Superintendent of Police Hassan Shifau announced that charges have been sought from the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) against Bassam and several other individuals involved in the case. The investigation revealed that in 2021, Bassam embezzled approximately USD 1 million from a USD 1.9 million loan provided by FIFA, which was meant to assist local football clubs during the pandemic.

Using over MVR 3 million from FAM funds, Bassam allegedly purchased two luxury apartments from the Amin Avenue complex. Payments to Amin Construction, the developer, were made in three installments, and investigators uncovered that a fabricated paper trail was created to falsely indicate that an equivalent amount in Maldivian Rufiyaa had been transferred back to FAM's bank account to cover the embezzled funds.

In addition to Bassam, charges have also been requested against Amin Construction, FAM’s former finance head Mohamed Aqeel, and Hassan Waheed (Dhona), another former FAM official. All are suspected of involvement in embezzlement, fraud, and money laundering.

FIFA has already suspended Bassam for nine months in relation to these allegations. The police investigation, initiated on October 22, 2023, followed special orders from then-prosecutor general Hussain Shameem. Bassam has consistently denied all allegations against him and faces additional charges as investigations into corruption within the FAM continue.