Former Mulee-aage Chief of Staff Mustafa, arrested

Ahmed Mustafa Mohamed, former Chief of Staff at the Official Presidential Resident, Mulee-aage during former President Abdulla Yameen’s tenure, has been arrested.

RaajjeMV understands that the former Chief of Staff was arrested on Saturday evening from the Velana International Airport, under a court order.

Maldives Police Service (MPS) revealed that Mustafa was arrested under allegations of threatening and attempting to influence witnesses in a case implicating him for wrongfully misusing his position and accepting bribes to lease an island allocated for Tourism.

Mustafa, native to Thulhaadhoo island in Baa atoll, was also probed in November for registering a car gifted to the government by Saudi Arabia, under his name.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had in November begun investigations into the case, having received documents relating to it from Maldives Customs Service.

A bullet-proof Mercedes-Benz S600 had been gifted by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Maldives government in August 2018.

The gift, to evidently be used by Maldives Head of State, was released from Customs by Mustafa after he had registered it under his name.

The issue caught public eye in mid-November and the former Chief of Staff had then attempted to change the registration to Mulee-aage.