Dhuvaafaru council’s corruption: ACC concludes investigation, forwards to PGO

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has concluded its investigation into the alleged corruption case of R. Dhufaafaru Council and has forwarded it to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) for discussions at duty prosecution.

The corruption was disclosed by the Local Government Authority (LGA), and as a result, a case was lodged at ACC on July 21, 2022.

On August 8, ACC announced its decision to probe the case against Dhuvaafaru Council.

Senior Communication Officer at ACC Nishan Mohamed said at the time that the investigation was proceeding at full speed.

A team from the commission was in Dhuvaafaru from August 25, till October 8, gathering and studying relevant documents as well as questioning those connected to the case.

ACC stated that based on the findings of the corruption orchestrated by 12 employees of the council,  there were numerous financial transactions carried out in violation of the regulations.

Moreover, the commission revealed that the investigation was concluded on September 30.

While the case has been forwarded to PG, the commission stated that they will be releasing further information, including details on those involved in the corruption.

A special monitoring report compiled by LGA showed that over MVR 2 million were transferred from the personal accounts of some of the council members and other employees from the council budget.

In addition to this, without any documentation, large sums of money were given in cash to employees as well.

The report stated that Dhuvaafaru Council was not acting in accordance with any of the laws dictated by the Decentralization Act and other regulations set through it by LGA, the Finance Act of Maldives, or other laws and regulations related to finances.

It also noted that the councilors failed to keep up with their responsibilities, and keep proper documentation as legally mandated.