Ex-defence chief charged with abuse of power

The Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office has pressed charges against former Chief of Defence Force, Major General Ahmed Shiyam.

Public prosecutor and media official at PG Office, Ahmed Shafeeu revealed that Shiyam was charged with abuse of power under Section 513 (b) and (c) of the Penal Code. As such, Section 513 (b) states that a person misused official authority if he “uses or influences official authority in his capacity as a public official or for the purpose of obtaining a benefit for himself or for another person to which he is not entitled.” This is a Class 4 felony.

Charges were forwarded to court on Monday.

Shiyam is being charged for 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 a year, four months and 24 days where he was served by a private MNDF officer.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had sought charges against Shiyam at PG Office last week. A report by the anti-corruption watchdog highlighted 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.

ACC’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.

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.