ACC: Will make a decision on ventilator case by end of this month

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has stated that a decision will be made on the ventilator case by the end of this month.

An update on the ventilator case was requested by Bilehdhoo MP Ahmed Haleem during a meeting of the Parliament’s Committee on Independent Institutions held this afternoon.

In briefing the Committee on the progress of the case – ACC’s President Mariyam Shiuna said that all statement pertaining to the case has now been obtained. She also added that a decision will be taken on the case by the end of this month.

Following this – MP Haleem had asked whether it was being decided to press charges again.

Responding to his second question – Shiuna said that points cited by the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) when they had rejected ACC’s request to press charges prior to this – were being investigated further.

“Two points were noted; one being to further investigate events which have unfolded in detriment to the government in relation to the agreement,” she had detailed.

Shiuna said that the second point highlighted by PGO is to further detail monies involved in the case – before requesting to file charges again.

Noting that the point regarding the agreement was not included in their initial investigation – Shiuna said that following the investigation of the two matters, if there is sufficient evidence to request file charges again, they will.

The ventilator case involved an MVR 34.50 million contract awarded by Health Ministry to Dubai-based Executors General Trading to procure 75 ventilators in 2020, which the Auditor General’s Office found to be in breach of Public Finance Regulation. 

However, Executors General Trading only delivered 15 ventilators, and while Health Ministry paid MVR 30.91 million, which made for 90 percent of the total payment, to the company as an advance, without obtaining an advance guarantee or a performance guarantee.

Maldivian government served notice for termination of the contract for failure to deliver the ventilators on May 2 – and instructed Executors General Trading to return the money within 30 days on August 10.

ACC, which investigated the case, requested PGO to file criminal charges against 11 government officials in connection to the case, including then-Health Minister Abdulla Ameen. However, PGO decline to file charges in the case citing insufficient evidence. They later reviewed the decision, but decided not to change its earlier decision not to pursue charges.