MDP heads to ACC with accusations of President Yameen's involvement in illegal oil trade
Oil had been exported from Maldives without undergoing declaration procedure
Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom
Main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has on Monday, lodged a case at the Anti-Corruption Commission of the Maldives (ACC) to investigate incumbent President Abdulla Yameen’s alleged linkage to an illegal oil trade with foreign bodies.
Speaking at a press conference held by the MDP on Monday afternoon, the party Chairperson Hassan Latheef said that a Hong Kong company named “Long-line International Ship Management Company Limited” had rented “Xin Yuan 18”, an oil tanker which had evidently been involved in illegal oil trade all the while using Maldivian flag aboard the vessel. Latheef further said that another vessel under the supervision of the company had also used the Maldivian flag on the 15th of January 2018.
The ship had evidently used the call sign of an oil tanker that belongs to “Green Box Private Limited” run under the management of former Colonel Mohamed Ziyad in the Maldives, and that President Yameen had contacted the board members of Bank of Maldives (BML) when the company had requested for a loan.
Latheef also highlighted that the transport authority of Maldives had even revealed that vessels under Green Box company had operated in ways for suspicion to arise that they were involved in illegal oil trade.
He further stressed that authorities are yet to take any action against the company, while there are three boats registered under the company illegally.
Moreover, MDP’s Secretary General Anas Abdul Sattar had revealed that they had received information that a Green Box employee had been using stamps of the transport authority, out of the Maldives. Furthermore, an exorbitant amount of oil had been exported on Green Box company’s vessels without getting the required declaration from Maldives Customs Service (MCS).
MDP’s Chairperson further revealed that this information is being reported to them via credible sources, and that they are certain President Yameen has a connection with owner of Green Box, a company that is alleged to have been involved in illegal oil trade.
