Former Vice President of the Maldives, Abdulla Jihad has denied charges raised against him over a project carried out at K. Fushidhiggaru island while he was Finance Minister under former President Mohamed Waheed’s administration.
Jihad, who has also served at the Governor, has been charged with misconduct during his time as Finance Minister, which resulted in losses to the state in a beneficial situation. The charge was raised with regard to the development of K. Fushidhiggarufalhi as a specialist tourist zone.
During a hearing at the Criminal Court on Wednesday, Jihad denied the charge and requested for an additional chance to present defence witnesses. The court granted him a period of three days to produce witnesses. The state named former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb as a witness against Jihad, and submitted official documents from the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Cabinet as evidence.
The joint venture agreement for the development of Fushidhiggarufalhi was signed on January 18, 2013. Although it was decided that the project would be awarded to a foreign party during former president Mohamed Nasheed’s adminstration, the contract was awarded later during former president Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik’s administration.
