PG orders criminal investigation into housing schemes

Prosecutor General Abbas Shareef has ordered investigative authorities to conduct a criminal investigation into the ‘Binveriyaa’ scheme for providing land plots to Malé residents and the ‘Gedhoruveriyaa’ scheme for providing flats, both of which were carried out by the former administration of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The PG Office stated that PG Abbas issued the order after it came to his attention that there were violations of procedures in accepting applications for both schemes.

It was also stated that information had been received indicating violations in determining the recipients of plots and flats.

Similarly, it was mentioned that the PG had received concerns about actions taken contrary to established rules and regulations in the allocation of plots and flats.

Therefore, the PG has revealed that it has been decided to conduct an investigation into how the allocation of plots and flats was carried out.

After the investigation wraps up, if there are any criminal allegations against any individual in connection with the matter, they have been asked to submit it to the PG's Office for prosecution after probing.

The Prosecutor General issued the order to the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The order to investigate the matter comes at a time a scandal surfaced on social media on 18 December 2024, regarding a plot of land in Hulhumalé being given to the brother of Housing Development Corporation (HDC)'s Managing Director Fazul Rasheed, which he was not eligible for.

In connection with the issue, at a press conference held at HDC on Wednesday night, Fazul was unable to clarify how two people received the same plot in Hulhumalé, and stated that his brother's inclusion among those who received plots in Hulhumalé against regulations was a “coincidence”. He also ended the press conference without answering questions from journalists.