Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit has exposed massive corruption at the top of the Maldives government, including theft, bribery and money laundering. President Abdulla Yameen is accused of receiving cash in bags filled with up to $ Im - so much that it was "difficult to carry", according to one of the men who delivered the

money.

A new documentary, Stealing Paradise, provides an unprecedented insight into how international corruption is carried out. The story is told through data obtained from three of former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb's smartphones and dozens of

confidential documents. It also features secretly recorded confessions of three men who embezzled millions and delivered the stolen cash on the orders of the president and his deputy.

The programme finds that the president's ministers and aides have plotted to launder up to $ 1,5b through the South Asian nation's central bank, with the help of secretive busi-nessmen from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. They planned to fly in cash at up to $100m at a time, pass it through the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) and transfer it back out.

An undercover Al Jazeera reporter met with one of the businessmen involved in the plan: Faidzan Hassan from Malaysia. The reporter told Hassan he represented wealthy clients with political connections who dealt in cash and wanted absolute secrecy.

Hassan said he could help, asking, "How many palettes [of cash) do you have?" He added," I don't deal with arms and drugs. That's it."

Later, Hassan denied the allegations of a money-

laundering plot in the Maldives and told Al Jazeera that the comments made to the reporter were mistaken and taken out of context. After the programme was broadcast, the Maldives government issued a statement to Al Jazeera rejecting involvement of President Yameen or current members of his Government to any wrongdoing.