Deputy Transport Minister Shimaz suspected of corruption changed to Youth Ministry

Deputy Transport Minister Shimaz Ali, whose dismissal has been requested by Transport Minister Aishath Nahula over corruption allegations, has been transferred to Youth Ministry, as a Deputy Minister.

The Spokesperson of the President’s Office, Miuvaan Mohamed, has confirmed the appointment of Shimaz as a Deputy Minister at Youth Ministry to Sun.

Transport Minister Aishath Nahula sent a letter to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih back in October, asking him to dismiss Shimaz based on a 2021 investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) which found him and five other Transport Ministry officials guilty of corruption in the award of a government contract to Versagio Pvt. Ltd. to manufacture machine-readable license plates back in 2020.

Commenting regarding the allegations – Shimaz said that he has not undertaken any of Transport Ministry’s duties without the knowledge of Minister Nahula.

Shimaz had faced threats and had the seat of his motorbike slashed in the wake of the letter, before he was attacked on the street.

He alleges the physical attack on him was orchestrated by ‘some politicians.’

Shimaz was appointed as Deputy Minister of Transport in February 2019, on a slot granted to the government coalition partner Maldives Reform Movement (MRM).