Speaker Nasheed: Failure to investigate MMPRC corruption fails government

Former President and Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed said on Thursday that failure to properly investigate, and press charges in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) scandal - which cost a potential loss of MVR 4 billion in state funds – would be a failure to the government.

Tweeting his concerns over the investigations, Nasheed stated that he had stressed hiring forensic auditors from abroad for the case.

“I really requested to contract forensic auditors to investigate the MMPRC corruption. Then on even, if the issues are not properly investigated, and charges are not pressed, the government will fail.”

In 2018, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih established the Corruption and Asset Recovery Commission to investigate and recover the billions stolen in the MMPRC case.

The commission was hit with criticism over failure to properly investigate and deliver sufficient results.

In his Presidential Address this year, President Solih said that once new members are appointed to Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the finding from the Asset Recovery Commission will be forwarded. He noted that from then on, ACC would be proceeding with the investigation.

The MMPRC scandal saw massive funds received from prospective developers as acquisition costs and other payments of islands to be leased and developed for tourism purposes be rerouted to government officials and others as bribes or payments and for personal gain and wealth.

Parliament in 2021, has released the report compiled by a joint parliamentary committee following an inquiry into the MMPRC corruption case, including a list of 282 people who Corruption and Asset Recovery Commission suspect received stolen public funds

Of the 282 people on the list, 119 are former and incumbent state officials. This includes 16 incumbent parliamentarians as well.