ACC asks police to probe money laundering allegations against Maldive Gas MD
22 ޑިސެމްބަރު 2020 | އަންގާރަ 11:56Shazail was suspended during October 2019
Shazail Shiyam was suspended following corruption allegations in 2019
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has sought investigations into money laundering allegations against Managing Director at Maldive Gas, Shazail Shiyam, at police.
An ACC official has confirmed the matter to RaajjeMV, highlighting that the money laundering allegations stemmed from initial investigations of corruption allegations the anti-corruption watchdog probed earlier.
Although a document detailing the money laundering allegations against him has been circulating on social media, ACC is yet to officially publicize the details.
Shazail was suspended during October 2019, following the long-drawn-out corruption allegations against him and rooted from complaints submitted to the government’s “Zero Tolerance to Corruption” portal.
The Maldive Gas MD is accused of abusing his position at the company for his own benefit, among several others.
ACC findings reveal that hefty amounts were deposited to a company linked to Shazail’s relatives, which was never registered for GST and BPG.
Further, Shazail had also reset his mobile phone and erased the data on the device, when authorities confiscated his phone, in light of which authorities were unable to find the evidence to support bribery claims against him.
Parliament’s Committee on State Owned Enterprises (SOE) passed to set Maldive Gas’s procurement procedure under “direct purchase”, after the company came under fire for violating procedure when purchasing Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), in early October last year.
ACC earlier launched investigations into the company for violating its procurement procedure in August, after receiving a case of Maldive Gas buying products abroad, with inflated prices.
However, Shazail had denied violating procedure and assured that since its inception, the company has followed the procurement policy to seek suppliers and that it has not violated the code of practice within the past eight months.
Shazail was appointed as MD of Maldive Gas through a Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) slot in January and previously served as a Deputy Fisheries Minister and Deputy Tourism Minister during the administration of former President Abdulla Yameen.
Maldive Gas came under fire after receipts of its purchases were shared on social media platforms which shows that it had purchased 3,000 gas cylinders from 3DH International at different prices.
