PG asked to take up corruption charges against former Minister

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has forwarded a case to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PG), asking to prosecute former Minister of Information, Arts and Culture Ibrahim Hussain Manik, for lending the Addu Media Centre to a local cable TV operator, without charge of rent.

The case states that for the duration from 2003 until 2009, Addu Media Centre was given to a company named Maldives Electronic Services (MESCO) without having formulated a formal agreement. It also said that Centre’s surrounding area, including its antenna, was also lent tothe company and that there is no documentation stating the manner in which building was lent.

ACC stated that, between 2003 and 2009, half of the Centre area was utilized by MESCO to conduct its businesses. Reflecting on the 2007 audit report, the commission said that average rent of the Centre is MVR 5000 per month and that an amount of MVR 360,000 is owed to the government for total of for the 6 years’ worth of rent.

The commission also said that Information Ministry had paid a total of MVR 1,642,153 as the electricity and water charges for the Centre during this period, and that MESCO had only paid half of the charges.

An amount of MVR 821,076 is owed to the government, said the commission.

They said that the investigation has brought to light correspondences carried out by the former Minister Ibrahim Hussain Manik regarding the issue, and that it was done in order to attain undue advantage through use of influence from his position, and that the investigation has come to know that it was done in matter which deprived of an advantage which by right, belonged to the government.

The commission stated its case asks to prosecute Ibrahim Hussain Manik under the Prevention and Prohibition of Corruption Act, for the attainment and facilitation of undue advantage through use of influence from position, and for the charge of neglecting finances which rightfully belonged to the government.

ACC also asks the PG to prosecute Ibrahim Hussain Manik to seek back MVR 360,000 as amount foregone as Centre’s rent, and also the total of MVR 1,181,076 as electricity and water charges which was unduly paid by the government.