ACC investigating 14 cases regarding state media PSM
Two of the cases directly involve the former heads of the state media
Public Service Media (PSM)\'s front gate
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has stated that it is investigating 14 cases regarding Public Service Media (PSM).
Two of these cases directly involve the former heads of the state media.
The first case is regarding PSM paying rent for two floors of an unfinished building where the Maldives Media Institute is to be established.
The second is of senior PSM officials allegedly using MVR 41 million meant for the Integrated Service Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) network being developed with the help of the Japanese government.
ACC earlier stated that it is investigating Mohamed Hashim, the former director of PSM’s procurement department, over the floor-rent case. In its report, ACC stated that PSM paid a total of MVR 481,000 for rent due with Hashim’s approval.
The ISDB-T case was filed at the ACC by a private party on August 30, 2018. In a letter, the private party said that Japan pledged to provide MVR 380 million (96% of the cost) for the project and the Maldives government was to spend the remaining MVR 16 million (6%).
The private party claimed that senior PSM officials tried to get more money for their personal gain and requested the finance ministry to give them MVR 179 million for the project. The ministry refused to give them the excessive amount but did provide PSM MVR 57 million, which is still higher than the funding needed. The senior PSM officials then allocated MVR 16 million of the MVR 57 million for the project and took the remaining MVR 41 million for their own gain, the private party claimed.
RaajjeMV understands that the ACC’s cases involve former PSM managing director Ibrahim Khaleel and deputy managing director Mohamed Ikram, who had been actively involved in former President Abdulla Yameen’s re-election bid last year.
The cases also include PSM’s work to publicize the magazine Maldheeb, painting their building, and replacing their antennas. One case is regarding former managing director Khaleel’s work to establish his own bureau.
