FIFA has banned former Football Association of Maldives (FAM) President Bassam Adeel Jaleel for life from all football-related activities over the misuse of COVID-19 relief funds for personal benefit.
According to Reuters, FIFA also fined Jaleel one million Swiss francs ($1.23 million) after finding him responsible for misusing funds.
Jaleel had previously been provisionally suspended while FIFA investigated allegations of money laundering, embezzlement and corruption.
Local reports said he is currently serving prison sentences totalling 32 years for allegedly depositing FIFA funds into his personal account and using money from FIFA’s COVID-19 Relief Plan to purchase an apartment.
Maldives-based Sun Online reported that Jaleel was transferred to house arrest last month following a recommendation by a medical board. He had earlier been placed under house arrest in March but was returned to prison after public backlash.
FIFA also imposed a 10-year ban on FAM’s former Director of Finance and Administration, Mohamed Ageel, and fined him 100,000 Swiss francs.
Ageel was found responsible for facilitating and concealing the misuse of FIFA funds, using falsified documents and failing to cooperate with FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee.
Meanwhile, former Montserrat Football Association (MFA) President Vincent Cassell was handed a lifetime ban and fined one million Swiss francs for abuse of position, systemic conflicts of interest, misuse of FIFA and MFA funds, and conduct affecting the physical and mental integrity of MFA staff.
The MFA’s former General Secretary, Tandica Hughes, was also banned for 15 years and fined 150,000 Swiss francs for personally benefiting from and facilitating improper transactions involving FIFA and MFA resources.
Reuters reported that it had contacted the Maldives and Montserrat football associations for comments on the sanctions.
