Muizzu accused of fibbing at committee meeting; members seek investigation
The former minister was presented for questioning on Monday, regarding the government’s dispute with Noomadi Resorts and Residences
Former Housing Minister Dr. Mohamed Muizzu at Monday\'s committee meeting
Members of the parliament’s committee on public affairs is seeking an investigation into former Housing Minister Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, after accusing him of fibbing during a questioning session.
The former minister was presented for questioning on Monday, regarding the government’s dispute with Noomadi Resorts and Residences.
During discussions held after the questioning session, committee members accused the former minister of lying and withholding information and had sought to investigate the matter.
There were three proposals, two were made by Dhaandhoo constituency MP Yaugoob Abdulla while Hulhudhoo constituency MP Ilyas Labeen proposed the third one.
Noting that the information shared by the former minister to the committee shows that he acted in a manner to provide undue benefit to a certain party, MP Yaugoob proposed to forwards Muizzu’s case to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), as well as for the committee to investigate the areas where he is to have lied and to forward the case to the police afterwards.
While Muizzu had claimed not to know where he had given the statement or whom he had represented, the Dhaandhoo constituency MP noted that “he had repeatedly lied” over the matter.
MP Ilyas proposed to form a separate committee to investigate the issue, noting that the former minister had acted in a manner that resulted in a huge loss from the state.
However, Monday’s committee meeting ended without reaching a decision on how to proceed, as they did not meet the required quorum to take a vote.
Back in July, the parliament secretariat announced the decision to seek criminal investigations against officials that give false information to parliament including its committees.
Hence, committee chair and Kinbidhoo constituency MP Mohamed Nashiz said that a vote will be taken at the next committee meeting.
While former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration decided to terminated the agreement with Noomadi, the company had filed two cases Permanent Court of Arbitration in Netherlands, seeking USD 155 million in compensation.
The current administration decided to reach an out of court settlement with Noomadi, following advice from the “settlement committee” formed by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and paid USD 55 million as a “full and final settlement.”
