The commutation of the prison sentences of Ahmed Adeeb and Abdulla Ziyath, immensely hindered anti-corruption efforts, says Transparency Maldives.
The anti-corruption watchdog released a press statement on Tuesday, strongly condemning the commutation of the sentences of Adeeb and Ziyath, with only four days remaining for President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s presidential term to end.
President Solih on Monday granted a presidential pardon to former Vice President Adeeb, and former Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) Ziyath, who were convicted in the grand MMPRC embezzlement case.
In its statement following their release, Transparency stressed that the presidential commutation sets a detrimental precedent for the rule of law and undermines efforts to combat corruption and kleptocracy.
Stressing that this is not only an abuse of the clemency and sentence commutation powers vested in the president, Transparency noted that it also represents the height of the protection, impunity and privilege enjoyed by political elite who abuse their positions of power and influence.
Noting that President Solih assumed office in November 2018 with a zero tolerance for corruption pledge, the anti-corruption watchdog asserted that the country has observed the government constantly green lighting acts of corruption and protecting those implicated in corrupt activities over the course of the past five years.
Further, the statement reads that out of the 281 individuals implicated in the grand MMPRC graft scandal including former and incumbent state officials, judges and parliamentarians, only three individuals were convicted in relation to the graft case.
Transparency also revealed that over the past five years, the report by the Commission on Corruption and State Asset Recovery detailing the loss of funds was never published and efforts were not made to recover the islands or obtain a fair acquisition value.
In addition to this, there were no significant efforts made to address key systemic gaps within the laws, regulations and practices that facilitated and protected this grand corruption over the past five years, according to Transparency Maldives.
The anti-corruption watchdog cited the 2014 audit report on MMPRC, and subsequent investigations confirming that the billions of MVR embezzled in the largest grand corruption scandal in Maldives was orchestrated by Adeeb and Ziyath.
In conclusion, Transparency Maldives asserted that the commutation is a blatant betrayal of the principles that underpin a just and accountable society and undermines efforts to combat corruption and kleptocracy.
At a time Adeeb and Ziyath have been pardoned, President Solih earlier instructed the temporary house transfer of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who was serving an 11-year prison sentence after being found guilty of involvement in a graft case.
Adeeb and Ziyath were pardoned under the powers vested to the president under the law of parole and it has been confirmed by the Maldives Corrections Service.
The two implicated in the MMPRC graft case pled guilty to the corruption charges against them under a plea deal with the state. They were both in house arrest when they were granted presidential pardon.
Adeeb was sentenced to 20 years in prison after having been found guilty of seven counts of charges in connection with the MMPRC embezzlement case, back in October 2020.
Ziyath was sentenced to 21 years in prison and was transferred to house arrest in 2019. He was serving an 11-year prison sentence after being convicted of several counts of fraud and was sentenced to another 12 years in prison on September 7 this year.
Involving the embezzlement of millions of USD in the sale of islands and lagoons leased for tourism, the MMPRC embezzlement case made international headlines and was the subject of a documentary aired by Al Jazeera.
