Orca Media Group has called for an independent investigation into the process of allocating state-funded financial assistance to private media outlets, raising concerns over transparency and potential conflicts of interest in the distribution of the media fund.

In its statement, Orca expressed alarm over irregularities in the MVR 27.9 million media fund disbursement, noting that the involvement of senior government officials with vested interests in some recipient organizations undermines the fund’s integrity and purpose.

The group has urged an immediate suspension of fund allocations pending a comprehensive independent review.

According to Orca, the current method of awarding grants contradicts the fund’s stated goal of supporting media diversity and independence.

The company cited reports indicating that MVR 1.34 million was allocated to an outlet operated by State Minister Ali Shamaan, who was also involved in the disbursement process.

In addition to this, the largest grant, amounting to MVR 5.1 million, was reportedly awarded to an entity linked to Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts Ibrahim “Asward” Waheed.

Orca further criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the evaluation process, highlighting that key details such as the composition of the selection committee, assessment criteria and scoring methods have not been made public by either the ministry or the Maldives Media Council.

Calling the process deeply flawed, Orca has demanded a full independent audit of the media fund, the formation of a new and impartial evaluation committee and a complete restart of the selection process with clear disclosure and oversight to ensure fairness and accountability.