State short of more than Rf 90 million as a result of corruption: ACC

Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has said that the cases investigated and submitted by ACC to Prosecutor General (PG) involve a sum of over Rf 90 million owed to the state.

ACC’s annual report 2011 published today says that 28 of 409 cases investigated last year are proven cases of corruption. 26 cases were submitted to PG with 52 charges. These cases involve an amount of Rf 91,325,090.93.

They include cases of using influence of position and unjustified use of state resources.

President of ACC Hassan Luthfee said that none of the 52 cases have been concluded, and no money has been repaid.

Vice President Muavviz Rasheed said that some cases involve 2-4 charges against the same person; these cases remain in the Court, and appeal process has been completed for only one case since the creation of ACC. He said in the judicial system, that cases are not being attended to as much as they need to be.

“There are several problems here. Two things have been noted in the investigation process and court process. That is, the technical capacity of the institutions does not match the increased crime rate. They don’t have the manpower either. This is the biggest challenge faced by these institutions,” Muavviz said.

ACC accepted 950 of 1177 cases submitted last year. 154 cases were rejected as they lacked necessary information. 13 cases were submitted to relevant institutions for investigation, and 114 cases were in need of revision.

A pilot study conducted by ACC has revealed that according to public opinion, corruption is worst in the judicial system. State companies come second, political institutions third. Of state institutions, people believe that the Parliament is the most corrupt, next is Councils, and third President’s Office. The study was conducted in Hdh. Atoll.

Maldives ranked 134, below even Ethiopia, in the yearly Corruption Perception Index 2011 published by Transparency Maldives. Daily Life and Corruption report by Transparency Maldives showed that the Parliament and judicial system are the most corrupt institutions in the Maldives.