Muizzu: Outgoing administration stole ‘as never seen before’

Maldivian president-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu says that acts of corruption during the current administration had risen to levels “never seen before” – even that during former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration – when the MMPRC graft scandal broke out.

Muizzu made the remarks in an interview to Al Jazeera – his first interview to the international press after winning the presidential runoff election on September 30.

In his interview, Muizzu said that everyone, even members of the MDP, are talking about the corruption which took place during the current administration.

“Everyone, including their own party… They are mentioning that in the Parliament itself that they have been stealing from the public finance as never seen before,” he said.

Muizzu mentioned the corruption in the award of a government contract to procure ventilators for Covid-19 patients, at the peak of the pandemic.

“Billions of Rufiyaa has been lost. Nobody knows what’s happened. The ventilators are supposed to be here, but it’s not,” he said.

Muizzu said he will hold the outgoing administration accountable for the corruption.

“We don’t want our public money to be misused,” he said.

Muizzu reiterated his promise of a transparent and “clean” government.

“My government will definitely be a clean government. If any media or any authority want to know anything, it will be easily available,” he said.

At his victory rally last week, Muizzu said he would not engage in acts of retaliation against his political opponents.

“…An administration that says no to the spirit of retaliation forever. There will be no stability in this country, otherwise,” he said.

He also said he would personally initiate investigations and take action against officials within his administration found to be facilitating corruption.