Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has ordered state authorities to recover USD97,000 owed to the state.
ACC stated that it ordered the relevant authorities to recover the state funds after its investigation of cases in the last month. The commission is prioritising cases that involve state asset recovery, according to the President of ACC Adam Shamil.
The largest case of state asset recovery is the MMPRC corruption scandal, involving the embezzlement of over USD194 million through the lease of several islands and lagoons for resort development between 2014 and 2015. Some of the senior officials of the previous administration, including former President Abdulla Yameen, former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, and former Managing Director of MMPRC Abdulla Ziyath have received sentences over different charges related to the MMPRC scandal. However, it is believed the total number of beneficiaries from the scandal is above 200, including government ministers, parliamentarians, judges, as well as police and military officers.
Additionally, ACC ordered the state institutions to recover USD136,000 owed to the state in 2021. The cases include unpaid leases for 12 land plots in Alifushi, Raa Atoll, which amounted to USD90,000. The cases also include the illegal corporate credit card expenses of the Official Residence of the President in 2007, which amounted to USD11,000. The latest statistics from ACC show that the commission concluded and submitted the most cases to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) in 2021, compared to the past five years.