Neeza requests opportunity to respond to BML statement

Neeza Imad, the former Deputy Governor of Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), has requested the parliament committee to give her the opportunity to respond to the recent statement from Bank of Maldives (BML) senior officials.

In a letter to the chair of the finance committee on Wednesday, Neeza said she wants to clear up what had happened.

At a parliamentary committee meeting over the MMPRC embezzlement case on Tuesday, BML’s senior officials said that Neeza was one of the officials of MMA who had recommended that BML allow transactions involving SoF, the company involved in the embezzlement, despite the suspicious transaction report.

At Tuesday’s committee meeting, BML’s Interim Risk Officer Yameen Adam said SoF began making suspicious transactions on 25 November 2014 and that the bank had held SoF’s account and submitted eight Suspicious Transaction Reports. However, he said that the interim head of FIU, MMA Deputy Governor Neeza Imad, had recommended BML to release the account and allow the transactions.

In a press release on Tuesday, Neeza denied recommending that BML allow transactions between MMPRC and SoF and said that she had not advised the bank on such a case.

Neeza said she has already given information to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) regarding the case and is ready to assist any further investigation.

Neeza had resigned as MMA Deputy Governor during former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration after Yameen nominated her for the position of Governor and then withdrew her name. She is currently the State Minister of Economic Affairs.