The testimony of Abdulla Ziyath, the former managing director of MMPRC, was obtained in relation to the lease case of R. Fuhgiri, involving the presidential opposition candidate Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

During today's hearing, when questioned by the state, Ziyath stated that the leasing process for R. Fuhgiri was conducted based on the directives of the former tourism minister, Ahmed Adheeb.

Ziyath affirmed that, as per Adheeb's instructions, he was tasked with liaising with Kurik Riza and facilitating the lease of R. Fuhgiri to a company that would serve his best interests.

R. Fuhgiri was leased to Classic City Island Holdings, a company based in Dubai, without going through a bidding process. The lease agreement for Fuhgiri was finalized at a value of 1.55 million dollars. Ziyath stated that Kurik Riza was the key individual involved in this transaction. Initially, the proposed lease amount for the island was 2.5 million dollars, but under Kurik Riza's instructions, it was decided to offer the lease for 400,000 dollars. However, Adheeb later insisted on leasing it for 1.55 million dollars, and the transaction was adjusted accordingly.

Furthermore, when questioned by the state in court, Ziyath revealed that, as per Kurik Riza's instructions, the signing of the agreement was delayed. This delay was attributed to Riza's payment being overdue, and it was discovered that Yameen's commission was included in the delayed payment list. Ziyath also mentioned that Yameen sent a text message requesting the payment to be expedited.

During the proceedings, President Yameen had the opportunity to question Ziyath as part of the defense's cross-examination.

President Yameen's initial question focused on the relationship between Adheeb and Ziyath, followed by an inquiry about Ziyath's affiliation with him. 

Ziyath stated in response that he and Adheeb have been close friends since their school days, spanning over two decades, and that Adheeb has been his political mentor.

President Yameen proceeded to ask Ziyath whether he believed Adheeb's account of how Yameen provided instructions or if he conducted independent research to verify the credibility of Adheeb's claims.

In response, Ziyath conveyed that he has not taken any steps to verify the accuracy of Adheeb's statements regarding Yameen. Ziyath explained that he believes Adheeb solely based on Adheeb's own assertions.

Furthermore, during the proceedings, a Viber chat log between Yameen and Ziyath was presented by the police. When asked if it was a screenshot taken from Yameen's phone, Ziyath stated that it is possible for scam or computer-generated messages to be fabricated, as President Yameen suggested.

President Yameen alleged that Ziyath had transferred the funds received from the island lease through MMPRC to a company called SOF and claimed that Ziyath had signed off on this transaction.

President Yameen inquired about the connection between the company SOF and himself, as Ziyath previously mentioned that the agreement signing was postponed due to a delayed payment involving President Yameen.

In response, Ziyath clarified that SOF, the company responsible for depositing money for MMPRC, had no association with President Yameen. He further explained that he signed the check under Adheeb's instructions to deposit the funds into the company.

During today's hearing, Ziyath was observed to have left several questions posed by President Yameen unanswered. Moreover, Ziyath reportedly claimed to have forgotten crucial details pertaining to the case. However, based on his testimony, it remains uncertain whether President Yameen's instructions had any influence on the matter.