PNC Vice-Pres. summoned to police for publicizing a letter
Friday saw the case become one under active investigation
Vice-President of People\'s National Congress Mohamed Hussain Shareef
Vice-President of the People's National Congress (PNC) Mohamed "Mundhu" Hussain Shareef was summoned for questioning by Maldives Police Service (MPS) in relation to the publication of a letter from the Ministry of Finance, regarding potentially selling or mortgaging Dharumavantha Hospital to acquire state funds.
Shareef was brought into questioning once before by police in relation to the leaked letter, which was addressed to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih by Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer, detailing that Dharumavantha Hospital would be mortgaged to acquire USD 300 million to the state from the sale of asset-based Sukuk bonds.
The opposition PPM-PNC coalition has directed heavy criticism to the Solih administration in relation to this case.
Speaking to the press outside Shaheed Hussain Adam Building after having being brought in for questioning at 3pm on Thursday, Shareef said that the police had asked him to hand over his personal phone for investigation, and that he had declined to handover his phone as the police has failed to present him a court order to that effect.
Shareef added that he had only just learned that the issue was now under active investigation by MPS, and revealed he had declined the right to acquire legal counsel for the case.
The letter by Finance Ministry requesting the President's Office transfer the registry of Dharumavantha Hospital to Finance in order to mortgage the building was leaked in November last year.
The ministry has since assured the state-owned Dharumavantha Hospital will not be sold or mortgaged during any process of selling asset-based Sukuk bonds.
Finance Ministry further clarified that they were seeking beneficial ownership of the property in order to sell Sukuk bonds in the foreign market with the assistance of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), Islamic finance instruments linked to which unconventionally require an asset to be backed in the instrument structure.
The ministry maintains that the ownership of Dharumavantha Hospital property would not be transferred to any party other than the Finance Ministry during the process of issuing Sukuk bonds to mitigate state debt.
