President-elect Solih calls on Housing Ministry to cease 'Phase 2' land sale
The president-elect expressed concern over the expedited process and said continuing with it is unlawful
President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has urged the government to cease the ongoing process of selling 400 plots of land under a Housing Ministry shelter program.
In a statement following the Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) warning that it will pursue forceful suspension of the program, the president-elect expressed concern over the expedited process and said continuing with it is unlawful.
The statement also highlights that the sale of properties under the program had not been publicly announced as required by law for such projects and that it lacks any means of ensuring that those that recieve properties are applicants that require it the most.
On Thursday, the Housing Ministry said that the program will now be under authority of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC). Speaking to the press, Minister Mohamed Muizzu said that the 5,100 applications recieved thus far have been transferred to the HDC.
This decision comes despite an earlier ACC investigation having found that the program is surrepticiously expedited with properties being priced lower than their worth, and appears to be a means to increase increase HDC's 'cash flow'.
A number of HDC staff and employees at the ministry have also filed a petition at the ACC, the Auditor General's Office, and the Finance Ministry expressing concern over the program, and stating that the sale of these properties at the current rate would cause irreversible losses.
Under the program, the ministry is selling 400 plots of land in the recently reclaimed 'Phase 2' area in Hulhumalé, an adminsitrative district of capital city Malé. Each plot has 1,000 square feet in area.
