Minister of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure Dr. Abdulla Muththalib has stated that no documents required for the investigation of the ‘Binveriyaa’ scheme have been lost in connection with the fire incident at the housing ministry.

At Monday’s sitting of the People’s Majlis, MP for South Galolhu constituency Meekail Ahmed Naseem inquired whether any documents essential for the investigation of the matter had been lost in the fire at the housing ministry, as it has been revealed that the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) was working to allocate plots to people not included in the list of those who received plots in Hulhumalé under the Binveriyaa scheme.

In response to this inquiry, Minister Muththalib stated that state institutions are investigating the issue of fake documents being formed to show that plots were given to people who did not receive them under the Binveriyaa scheme. He said that the land ownership scheme is one where application stages are completed through a portal and managed through the portal.

Minister Muththalib said that the list of people who receive plots under the Binveriyaa scheme is a gazetted list, and the information of those who receive plots under the scheme is in the portal used by the ministry.

In addition to this, Minister Muththalib explained that the ministry is currently providing information needed for the case being investigated by independent state institutions in connection with the scheme. He also revealed that so far it has not been noted that any documents needed for the investigation have been lost in connection with the fire incident that occurred on 12 December 2024, in the building where the ministry was previously operating. However, Minister Muththalib said that hard copies of documents related to the scheme that were in the building were lost to the blaze.

MP Mickail went on to inquire why the government is treating the chief suspect, former Managing Director of HDC Fazul Rasheed, in a very specific manner, as it has been revealed that the Housing Development Corporation was working to allocate plots to people not included in the list of those who received plots in Hulhumalé under the scheme.

To this, Minister Muththalib requested that questions related to the investigation be directed to the relevant authorities.

The tin-built structure was completely destroyed in the fire. While the cause of the blaze remains unknown, the Maldives Police Service launched a special investigation, bringing in a team of foreign experts. However, no findings from the investigation have been made public so far.

After the fire, the housing ministry has been operating at Dharubaaruge, temporarily.