The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has asked Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed to pay MVR 444 to the Parliament Secretariat.
A complaint that the Speaker misused parliament staff and resources during a private trip taken by Nasheed following a visit to Ga. Villingili to participate in a symposium held on 31st October 2019 was filed at ACC.
After investigating the complaint, the corruption watchdog found that the speaker spent MVR 133 to transfer his bodyguards and the Chief Bureau Officer of the parliament from Gan, Addu City to Male' after traveling to Fuvahmulah and Addu City following the conclusion of the symposium.
A ticket from Kooddoo island to Male' costs MVR 1222 per person. While the additional visits were not part of the symposium, traveling back from Addu City to Male' incurred an additional expense of MVR 444 for the tickets of Nasheed's bodyguards and parliament staff. Therefore, ACC ordered Nasheed to pay the increment to the Parliament Secretariat.
Speaking on the matter at Wednesday's parliament sitting, Nasheed said he does not wish to challenge ACC's decision, and requested a MP to give him the amount for immediate payment.
Holhudhoo MP Yoonus Ali volunteered to pay the sum on Nasheed's behalf, in addition to opposing Peoples' National Congress (PNC)'s Parliamentary Group Leader Adam Shareef Umar and Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)'s PG leader Ahmed Saleem. However, accepting their money may cause additional allegations of corruption against him, said Nasheed.
