ACC opens probe on Nasandhura lease, after Police concludes case

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has opened the probe on the lease and development of Nasandhura Palace Hotel and the adjacent plot into a hotel, after Maldives Police Service (MPS) concluded their investigation.

MPS investigation into the lease of the property revealed that the deal was conducted in a manner that facilitated corruption. Former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb was listed as the prime suspect in the case filed with Prosecutor General’s Office on January 3, 2016. PG Office is yet to raise charges on Adeeb.

Nasandhura and the plot adjacent to it was leased in 2015 for a period of 50 years.

The plots were leased to NPH Investments; President Abdullah Yameen’s brother in law, Mohamed Manik is a shareholder in the company. NPH had signed a contract with a Sri Lankan developer to develop the hotel.

RaajjeMV understands that ACC officials had visited Dhoonidhoo island where Adeeb is serving his sentence. The officials had interrogated Adeeb on the lease of the plots.

An official of ACC had confirmed that they had opened a probe on the lease.

When the massive billion Rufiyaa graft of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) first surfaced the Auditor General had questioned over the lease. The project was leased on basis of a CSR component, with no proceeds from the lease going to the state. No details of the CSR component were issued.

The construction of a 25-storey building is underway in the premises.