Case filed at ACC after minister confessed to boosting PNC membership count

A case has been lodged at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan, who has confessed to filling forms at the Department of National Registration (DNR) to increase the membership count of the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC).

The case was submitted to the ACC by Ahmed “Maaz” Saleem, a member of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s National Congress. After receiving the case, ACC stated in a document that the case was registered with the commission on 16 January 2025. MDP submitted the case to the ACC on 16 January 2025.

In addition to this, the anti-corruption watchdog stated that if information about the case is required, they will provide as much information as possible upon an official request.

Maaz Saleem submitted Ihusaan’s case to ACC based on the minister's statements at the People’s Majlis, with evidence.

Responding to the no-confidence motion against his at the People’s Majlis, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan said that when people were being recruited to PNC, party leaders asked each minister to increase membership by a certain amount.

He was tasked with obtaining at least 500 forms, and the plan was to assign this responsibility to all political parties. He said that 50 political staff at the Home Ministry were each assigned to obtain at least 10 or 15 forms. Forms brought under this system were handed over to the State Ministers of the ministry, and Ihusaan said that the photos being leaked would also be in that group.

Ihusaan said that form-filling work was done at a DNR meeting room in the evening. When the forms were brought in filled, the witness section was left blank, and the work of putting fingerprints, signatures, and filling in details in the witness section was done at the meeting room.

The document sent by the ACC registering Maaz Saleem's complaint lists May 6 as the case number and submission date. It also lists the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology as the respondent and includes a summary of the case. The case was submitted to the ACC on May 6 as well.

In the case, Maaz Saleem stated that Minister Ihusaan had confessed during a parliamentary sitting that work was done within DNR to boost PNC membership.

Accordingly, during the eighth sitting of the first session of this year's 20th People's Majlis held on 25 February 2025, Minister Ihusaan reportedly said that the forms filled within DNR for PNC were signed by political staff of the home ministry as witnesses.

It was also stated that Minister Ihusaan said the forms were signed and fingerprinted in the absence of the individuals whose details were provided on the forms.

Speaking to RaajjeTV on Tuesday afternoon after submitting the case to ACC, Maaz Saleem said that Minister Ihusaan’s leadership in using DNR information to recruit members for PNC constitutes an abuse of official authority for undue advantage.

Further, the case noted that Minister Ihusaan had used his official influence in violation of the Anti-Corruption Act, using state property, resources, personal information, and a state building to submit forms to the Elections Commission of the Maldives, which has accepted the forms and registered those individuals in PNC's registry.

It was also noted that upon submission of said forms to the Elections Commission, the commission decided to allocate MVR 193.23 from the state budget for each member listed in PNC's registry, similar to how members of other parties receive funds.

The case also stated that Minister Ihusaan, using his official influence, paved the way for millions of MVR from the state budget to be allocated with the intention of benefiting a specific party or individual.

It was noted that using official influence in this manner is clearly defined as an offense in the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, in addition to being a punishable offense under the Maldives Penal Code.

As Minister Ihusaan’s actions within the home ministry are considered an act of corruption, a request has been submitted for ACC to investigate the matter as a criminal case.

Photos showing forms being filled, photos being attached, and the process of recruiting members for PNC within DNR, which operates under the home ministry, have been leaked on social media. From the photos that became public, it is evident that DNR's data computer system and the screen in the meeting room were being used, and the photos taken and attached to forms are old ID card photos people had given to make ID cards.

Said photos show Minister Ihusaan, along with other political officials of the home ministry and the Deputy Minister in charge of running DNR.

The incident has sparked widespread criticism of Minister Ihusaan, with many calling for his resignation.