The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)'s former President Hassan Luthufee's passport has been seized by authorities.
Luthufee's passport was withheld upon his return to the Maldives last Saturday after living in Malaysia for an extended period. The police have confirmed that his passport was withheld due to an ongoing investigation.
Police first announced in February 2019 that they were investigating a money laundering case against Luthufee. The case was stalled due to Luthufee's departure from the Maldives. AVAS has learned that police teams had earlier traveled to Malaysia to meet Luthufee to take his statement for the investigation. Although the police previously said others were involved in the money laundering case, information regarding the other suspects has not been released thus far.
Luthufee, along with former ACC members, faced criticism during the MMPRC corruption case, where then-President Abdulla Yameen was accused of depositing USD one million into his personal account through a company named SOF Pvt Ltd. ACC's agreement with Yameen to open an escrow account to deposit the funds in question instead of freezing his Islamic bank account stirred controversy, leading to allegations that Luthufee was protecting Yameen from fraud charges. Luthufee resigned amid ongoing parliamentary efforts to remove him from the ACC.
Interestingly, Luthufee, who hails from Addu City, expressed support for PPM-PNC presidential candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu during his recent campaign visit to Addu.
