Housing Minister Dr. Ali Haidhar has said that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will decide on the suspension of the allocation of flats under the Gedhoruveriyaa Housing Scheme within the next 20 days.
Over 13,000 individuals were eligible for the 4,000 flats being allocated from Hulhumale' Phase II under the Gedhoruveriyaa Scheme. When the government publicized the list of recipients on November 5, it stirred significant controversy, with allegations of points being awarded in violation of grading policies. Over 7,400 complaints were submitted regarding the list, and ACC suspended the handover of flats pending investigation.
On Monday, the new Housing Minister, Dr. Haidhar, was summoned to the Parliament's Committee on National Development And Heritage for questioning regarding the allocation of the flats. At the session, the minister said he met with ACC officials upon assuming office and that he was informed that the ministry would be instructed on how to proceed with flat allocation over the next 20 days. Haidhar said if the ACC decides to conduct a criminal investigation, a decision on the matter may be further delayed.
"When we took over, flat allocation had already been suspended, and we shared our concerns with ACC. We are looking into resolving the issue and resuming the allocation of flats," Haidhar said.
The minister further said the ACC had been granted access to the flat portal for their investigation. He emphasized that it was not the intention of the new government to revoke flats from anyone and that all recipients on the list would receive a flat when the ACC investigation was concluded if they met the eligibility criteria.
