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Police begin investigations following ACC report on MMPRC scandal

Maldives Police Service has begun fresh investigations following the publication of Anti Corruption Commission (ACC)'s report on the embezzlement of state funds through Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC).

According to the report publicized by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday, MMPRC was supposed to receive USD 77.5 million as acquisition fees for 57 islands leased through the company. However, only USD 12.5 million was received by the state, while the remaining USD 64.8 million was deposited into the account of a company named SOF Private Limited, and a company linked to the now jailed former vice president Ahmed Adeeb, Millennium Capital Management.

The report revealed that 155 different individuals and companies had received funds embezzled from MMPRC through SOF Private Limited, including top government officials and parliamentarians.

The report also noted that negligence on the part of several parties had led to the execution of the embezzlement.

In an interview given by Acting Police Commissioner Mohamed Hameed to state-owned PSM, he noted that the report had identified several probable criminal offenses, which are now being reviewed and investigated by the police.

Hameed said while such as money-laundering, fraud and forgery are suspected, the police are also reviewing the evidences and statements obtained by the them to identify how much it corroborates the ACC report.

The police previously investigated the MMPRC scandal after which they sought prosecution for former vice president Ahmed Adeeb and former managing director of MMPRC, Abdulla Ziyath.