ACC and Immigration Department to be summoned to Committee in relation to Border Control System project case

Parliament’s Finance Committee has decided to investigate why 95 percent of the $39 million Border Control System project was completed, while Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had made several attempts to halt the project.

ACC has filed the case to High Court; and before the project was assigned to Malaysia’s Nexbiz , ACC had advised against assigning the project to Nexbiz.

Finance Committee member Ilyas Labeeb said while presenting the case, that ACC had attempted to halt the project following suspicions of corruption, and that it is not acceptable that the project is almost completed while the case is still in progress in court.

“There should be a way to halt the project, perhaps by intervention of this Committee. I don’t think it’s fair that the project has been almost completed, while it is in progress at court. This will result in losses to the state,” Ilyas Labeeb said.

His proposition was supported by Kulhudhuffushi MP Abdul Gafoor Moosa and Bilaydhoo MP Ahmed Hamza.

Following Gafoor’s suggestion, Chairperson and Dhiggaru MP Nazim made the decision to summon officials of ACC and Immigration Department to tomorrow’s Finance Committee meeting.

All members present at today’s Finance Committee meeting agreed that the project should be halted until the issues surrounding it are resolved.

“The fact that the project continues while calls are made publicly to halt it, shows that it is being influence by some powerful individuals. The current government came to power by criticizing the former government, so just because the former government did things a certain way, does not mean that they should do the same,” Milandhoo MP Ali Riza said.

Meanwhile, Controller of Immigration Dr Mohamed Ali Hassan told Sun Online last Sunday that the project was almost complete.

The Committee meeting was concluded when Kaashidhoo MP Abdullah Jabir interfered by raising his voice, and demanded the investigation of the issues pertaining to Nasheed. He also said that members of MDP are an obstruction to Parliament meetings and Committee meetings.