Akram denies flat allocation abuse charges

Former State Minister for Housing Akram Kamaluddin on Monday denied charges of allocating flats to ineligible individuals under housing schemes launched by the previous Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration.

Akram, who chaired the Gedhoruveriyaa Committee, was charged alongside three other senior officials from the Housing Ministry:

• The then Senior Executive Director and Housing Committee member  

• Director General and Gedhoruveriyaa Scheme verification supervisor Ahmed Vishan Naseem  

• Senior Executive Director and verification supervisor Liraam Waheed  

All four face charges of abuse of official position. At Monday’s Criminal Court hearing, each defendant denied the charges. Chief Justice Adam Mohamed granted 10 days to submit defense evidence and 15 days for pre-trial motions.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and police are investigating other aspects of the case. The Prosecutor General’s Office stated it would decide on further prosecutions based on available evidence.

The controversy stems from the Gedhoruveriyaa housing scheme, under which a list of 4,000 flat recipients was published on November 4, 2023, days before the end of President Solih’s term. Following public complaints, a revised list was released on November 15.

The ACC halted the handover of flats, citing irregularities in the list. In February, the interim Housing Ministry revealed that only 1,820 recipients were truly eligible, and that 53 percent of the points awarded under the previous list were invalid. Despite this, the government later decided to proceed with allocations as per the original list.

The MDP administration had also announced plans to allocate land in Hulhumale' Phase II and III, Giravaru, and Gulhifalhu, projects that the current government is continuing.