The Auditor General’s Office has revealed former Minister of Communication, Science and Technology Mohamed Maleeh Jamal had spent over USD50,000 from state funds to renovate his office.
The 2019 audit of the Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology revealed the relocation of the ministerial cabin and Block B of the building that housed the ministry was awarded to a private party on September 15, 2019 for a price of USD 51,475. The audit identified irregularities in the contractual procedures, including the failure to deduct liquidated damages from the final price despite the contractor failing to complete the project on the agreed deadline, and the failure to deduct the retention amount when settling the contractor’s bills.
Furthermore, the audit also revealed the ministry had not maintained asset records of the National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT) as per the regulations. As a result, the audit revealed the USD10.6 million stated as the valuation of all properties and assets under the ministry in its asset declaration report of 2019 cannot be verified.
Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology was dissolved on May 5, 2021, with its mandate transferred to the newly formed Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology. The ministry was dissolved shortly after Mohamed Maleeh Jamal was removed as the minister following a no-confidence motion at the Parliament of the Maldives.