Several protesters were detained but released without charges.
The five-judge panel also imposed a US$5 million fine.
MP Hussain Mohamed Latheef rejoined PPM.
A new bench rejected the defence's appeal for a fresh trial.
Yameen said he "can't be touched" if the trial is fair.
Government officials sought assurances that Yameen will be jailed, Judge Hailam alleged.
Ruling party lawmakers are due to meet the Attorney General to share concerns.
Yameen continued to blame his heavy defeat on voter fraud.
He was transferred after reporting suspicious transactions by former president Yameen.
The hearing was the first to be broadcast live on television.
The appellate court overturned a lower court order to freeze eight accounts.
The High Court overturned the lower court's detention order.
Former president Yameen remains hospitalised.
The ruling coalition leader objected to detaining defendants for trial.
The opposition leader attempted to bribe witnesses, prosecutors told the court.
Yameen is accused of using US$1 million from a company implicated in the country's biggest corruption scandal.
The former chief of staff at the presidential residence was arrested on his return to the Maldives.
