Former Mulee-aage chief of staff remanded for 10 days

Mustafa Mohamed, the chief of staff of the president’s residence during Abdulla Yameen’s administration, has been remanded for 10 days.

He was arrested at Velana International Airport on Saturday evening.

The police service stated that he was arrested for accepting bribes while leasing an island for tourism, using his position for personal benefit, and working to influence and intimidate witnesses.

Mustafa was appointed as the Mulee-aage chief of staff in 2014 and was earlier the minister of state for tourism.

In 2018, during the Yameen administration, Mustafa had used his own name to register and release a bullet-proof car from Customs, which was gifted by Saudi Arabia to the Maldives government.

After the reports surfaced, Mustafa attempted to change the Mercedes-Benz S600’s registration to Mulee-aage.

The Anti-Corruption Commission investigated the issue in 2018.