Parliament of the Maldives has revealed 281 people were named in the list of beneficiaries of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC)’s corruption scandal.
The parliament had requested the list of MMPRC beneficiaries from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Presidential Commission on Corruption and Asset Recovery, which investigated the scandal. Following the request, the investigative authorities submitted a list of the beneficiaries involved in the scandal.
The list is being reviewed by a joint committee consisting of members of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security Services and the Parliamentary Committee on Judiciary. Chair of the sub-committee, Parliamentarian Imthiyaz Fahmy revealed there are 281 names in the list of beneficiaries, all of whom can be charged. He noted charges against some of the beneficiaries have already been forwarded to the Prosecutor General, while charges against the rest are being prepared.
The MMPRC corruption scandal involves the largest embezzlement of state funds in the history of the Maldives. During a press conference held in July last year, the Presidential Commission on Corruption and Asset Recovery revealed 37 islands and 12 lagoons had been fraudulently leased through MMPRC for resort development between 2014 and 2015. The commission said the total price of the islands alone amount to USD 210 million, while the total amount embezzled would rise to at least USD 260 million if the lagoons are priced.