ACC seeks charges against ex-defence chief

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has sought charges against former Chief of Defence Force, Major General Ahmed Shiyam, at the Prosecutor General’s Office.

In a statement on Wednesday, ACC revealed that charges are being sought against Shiyam, under Article 513 (b) of the Penal Code, which states that a person commits the offense of misusing official authority if they use or influence official authority in their capacity as a public official and for the purpose of obtaining a benefit for themselves or another person to which they are not entitled, as well as Article 12 (a) of the Prevention and Prohibition of Corruption Act which defines misusing official authority for illicit gains as an offence.

Shiyam is accused of using a VIP facility established in Villimalé for the matters involving the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), for personal purposes.

As such, Shiyam had accommodated his sickly father at the VIP facility for over a year and six months where he was served by MNDF officers.

The anti-corruption watchdog earlier closed the case in Shiyam’s favor, having found no wrongdoing but reopened the case after a request to do so by Prosecutor General, Hussain Shameem.

ACC’s report highlights that citizens cannot be accommodated in the building, despite the absence of clear regulations under which individuals may be accommodated at the building.

Further noting that the VIP facility is to be used by officers for military purposes alone, ACC revealed that it may also be used to provide temporary accommodation for special individuals providing services and stressed that acts of corruption will not be tolerated despite the presence of a culture of senior officials misusing their position to gain undue benefits at facilities run by the state, at institutions.

The anti-corruption watchdog’s findings reveal that Shiyam’s father was accommodated at the VIP facility upon Shiyam’s instructions and that his father did not have any right to reside in the facility.

ACC further stressed that an officer of the MNDF cannot be instructed to look after a citizen, by any high-ranking officers, unless it concerns services related to the general public, under the officer’s official responsibilities and duties.

In this regard, ACC noted that an MNDF officer had resided at the facility to take care of Shiyam’s father, which in turn led him to access services and resources at the facility and gaining benefits to which he was not entitled.