Government divided on Border Control System project issue

The government is divided in their view on whether to halt the overpriced Border Control System project undertaken by Department of Immigration and Emigration through Malaysia’s Nexbiz.

Minister of Home Affairs Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed yesterday notified the Immigration Department to halt the $39m-project, following corruption-related concerns raised by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Meanwhile, government Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza has today stated that there is no legal basis to halt the project.

“If corruption is involved in a project, the individuals who are responsible should be produced in court and penalized. The project itself does not have to be halted. Are you saying that because Thilafushi was reclaimed illegally, we should now dump the sand back to the sea?” Abbas asked.

Dr Jameel, on the other hand, said in an interview with Sun Online last night that the government’s stand on this issue is that the project should be halted until the concerns of the ACC and Attorney General are addressed.

Abbas said that two decisions which empower the continuation of the Border Control System project had been made by the cabinet.

They are to take action against human trafficking in the Maldives, and to establish a Border Control System which takes fingerprints into account.

“These decisions portray the government’s policies. Besides, there is no court order to halt the project, despite the case having been filed to court repeatedly. There is no legal basis to halt the project,” Abbas said.

The project was awarded to Nexbiz after ACC had advised against doing so.

The agreement made between Immigration Department and Nexbiz allows Nexbiz to charge $2 on every passenger travelling to and from Maldives, as well as $15 on every new and renewal visa application, for a period of 22 years.

Controller of Immigration and Emigration Dr Mohamed Ali earlier said that 95 percent of the project had been completed and the project was almost ready for implementation.

He stressed that Nexbiz resumed work on the project because there was no court order to halt the project.

The Controller could not be reached by phone after Home Ministry sent the notification letter to halt the project.

Abbas said that if the former Chairman of Tender Evaluation Board Saami Ageel and former Controller of Immigration Ilyas are found guilty in court in relation to the Border Control System case, the government will not hesitate to take the necessary action against them.

“The government’s spirit and hope is that the Prosecutor General’s office expedites the cases filed against the two individuals. We welcome the prosecution of these cases, and will not hesitate to take the necessary action against them. But that’s no reason to halt a project which is near completion,” Abbas said.

As the issue of the Border Control System project heated up, President Dr Mohamed Waheed transferred his brother-in-law Ilyas from the post of Controller of Immigration to State Minister of Defence.

Awarding the Border Control System project to Nexbiz was initiated by Ilyas.

Attorney General Azima Shakoor has also earlier called to halt the project following ACC’s corruption allegations.

Former Controller of Immigration had sent a letter to the President criticizing the Attorney General for not supporting the Border Control System project.

Also, the President had authorized duty reduction on laptops brought in for this project.