Hearings scheduled for February 10 in Mahloof’s case

Hearings for Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof’s trial has been scheduled for February 10.

Criminal Court revealed that the hearing was scheduled when the court officer who guides people in and out of the courtroom recovered from COVID-19. Since many requested to enter this particular hearing, the court noted that the court officer’s presence was necessary to manage the courtroom.

Additionally, many staff have completed their full vaccination, including booster doses, hence the hearing was put on the schedule, said the court. 

He was charged based on the findings of an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) into the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) graft scandal. 

ACC found that on September 1, 2014, a USD 33,000 cheque was deposited to Mahloof’s bank account by SOF Private Limited – the company accused of laundering the stolen funds. The corruption watchdog said that though Mahloof submitted a ‘Payment Received’ slip in the name of SOF as evidence it had been a legitimate business transaction to procure US dollars, the commission had witnesses and other evidence to prove otherwise.  

However, Mahloof continued to maintain his innocence and described the case against him as a political conspiracy to remove him from office. 

In 2019, Mahloof was suspended when ACC’s report on the MMPRC scandal was first publicized. However, he was cleared two months later, following an investigation by the President’s Office. 

Later, Mahloof was placed under suspension again in June 2021, after the ACC requested corruption charges against him with the Prosecutor General’s Office.  However, the President's Office lifted the suspension in October 2021.