Audit Report: No evidence found of Media Council transferring funds to newly formed commission
23 ސެޕްޓެމްބަރު 2026 | ބުދަ 12:08An audit report has revealed that over MVR 1 million, which was unlawfully disbursed to the inaugural members of the Maldives Media Council, remains partially unrecovered despite a court order mandating its repayment. Although the Council has sought guidance from relevant authorities regarding the recovery of these funds, the lack of a definitive response has left it unclear what specific actions are currently being taken to reclaim the outstanding balance.
A meeting of the Maldives Media Council. | MMC
The Auditor General’s Office has stated that living allowances issued to members of the Maldives Media Council have not been recovered, noting there is no evidence that these funds were transferred to the newly formed commission.
The Auditor General’s Office has released the financial statement audit report for the Maldives Media Council covering the period from January 1 to September 20, 2025, alongside the 2024 compliance audit report. These reports highlight several issues regarding non-compliance with the State Finance Act and the State Financial Regulations identified during the audits for 2024 and 2025.
The report stated that, in violation of the State Finance Act, a total of MVR 1,012,500 was issued as living allowances to the 15 members of the Maldives Media Council’s first term through the end of 2011. It further noted that after the Ministry of Finance filed a lawsuit against the 10 members who failed to reimburse the funds, the lower court ordered them to repay the amount to the state.
According to the report, the case involving one member has been resolved following the settlement of the outstanding amount. Of the remaining nine members who have yet to make payments, one individual appealed the ruling. Consequently, on September 28, 2022, the Supreme Court issued a verdict affirming that the living allowance paid to the appellant must be reimbursed to the state.
However, the Auditor General’s Office highlighted that as of February 25, 2025, a total of MVR 225,000 remained unrecovered from four members of the Maldives Media Council. The report further noted that although the Council had written to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning on July 1, 2025, seeking guidance on how to proceed with reclaiming living allowances issued to 10 members—consistent with previous audit recommendations—the Council confirmed that no such instructions have yet been received.
The Audit Office stated that despite a formal request sent to the Ministry on April 9, 2026 seeking the relevant information, no response has been received. Consequently, the office noted it is currently impossible to determine whether any portion of the funds has been recovered or if any measures have been taken to reclaim the outstanding balance.
Furthermore, the Audit Office stated that following changes to the administrative structure of the Maldives Media Council, the Ministry of Finance issued a letter on October 6, 2025, outlining the procedures for preparing and reporting financial statements through September 30, 2025. However, the office noted that as of the audit completion date on June 22, 2026, there was no documentation to verify the exact amount of funds due to the Council or to confirm that these funds had been officially transferred to the newly established Commission.
