Parliament of the Maldives has revealed the names of the individuals who received state funds embezzled in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption scandal.
The list was publicised by the joint committee consisting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security Services and the Parliamentary Judiciary Committee. The list includes names of government ministers, parliamentarians, judges, as well as police and military officers. In total, the list consists of 281 names, including 119 state employees and 16 parliamentarians.
Minister of Youth, Sports, and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof is included in the list, as well as Minister of State for National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Akram Kamaaluddin, and Auditor General Hassan Ziyath, who has since resigned from the position. The state has completed its investigation of Minister Mahloof and is now in the process of filing charges.
The joint committee has decided to oust the beneficiaries of the MMPRC scandal who still hold positions in the government. The committee also requested the Presidential Commission on Corruption and State Asset Recovery to complete the investigations on the elected officials in the list, since they can only be ousted from their position through a court trial.
The MMPRC corruption scandal involves the largest embezzlement of state funds in the history of the Maldives, with current investigations suggesting that the total amount embezzled is over USD 220 million. Former President Abdulla Yameen, former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, and former Managing Director of MMPRC Abdulla Ziyath are currently serving prison sentences over their involvement in the scandal.