Corruption charges against Ex-Chief of Defence withdrawn

A corruption case against the former Chief of Defence Force, Major General Ahmed Shiyam, regarding his father's residence at a Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) VIP building, has been withdrawn.

Shiyam was charged for using a VIP facility established in Villimalé for the matters involving the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), for personal purposes. As such, Shiyam had accommodated his sickly father at the VIP facility located on the premises of the Coast Guard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) for a year, four months and 24 days where he was served by a private MNDF officer, during 2017 and 2018.

Shiyam also assigned a military private officer to take care of his father during that period.

However, last year, the Criminal Court ruled that the state's charge of misuse of official capacity against Shiyam was not proven. The state then appealed the case to the High Court in January 2025.

The High Court report annulling the appeal form states that after the Prosecutor General's Office (PG Office) appealed the Criminal Court's decision, upon further review of the case, the PG Office decided not to proceed with the case. This decision was based on the fact that seven years had passed since the incident occurred, and no additional cases against Ahmed Shiyam had been submitted to the PG Office.

The PG Office informed the court on June 29, that they saw no public interest in continuing the case and requested the appeal form to be nullified.

The report also mentions that the appeal form has been nullified, citing Article 35 (a) and (c) of the High Court of Maldives Regulations.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had sought charges against Shiyam at PG Office in December 2020. A report by the anti-corruption watchdog highlighted that citizens cannot be accommodated in the building, despite the absence of clear regulations under which individuals may be accommodated at the building.

Further noting that the VIP facility is to be used by officers for military purposes alone, ACC revealed that it may also be used to provide temporary accommodation for special individuals providing services and stressed that acts of corruption will not be tolerated despite the presence of a culture of senior officials misusing their position to gain undue benefits at facilities run by the state, at institutions.

ACC further stressed that an officer of the MNDF cannot be instructed to look after a citizen, by any high-ranking officers, unless it concerns services related to the general public, under the officer’s official responsibilities and duties.

In this regard, ACC noted that an MNDF officer had resided at the facility to take care of Shiyam’s father, which in turn led him to access services and resources at the facility and gaining benefits to which he was not entitled.

The anti-corruption watchdog earlier closed the case in Shiyam’s favor, having found no wrongdoing but reopened the case after a request to do so by the then-Prosecutor General, Hussain Shameem.