Travel ban lifted from 9 implicated in ‘Binveriya’ corruption case

Travel bans on nine people implicated in a case involving allegations of corruption in the award of land from Hulhumale’ under the ‘Binveriya’ housing scheme have been lifted.

At least 24 people were hit with travel bans as authorities launched a criminal investigation after documents leaked on social media on December 18 appeared to show that multiple people were given land from Hulhumale’ under the ‘Binveriya’ scheme despite not being on the list of recipients released in 2023 during the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration.

This includes Mohamed Fazeel Rasheed, the deputy managing director of Male’ Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC), and the older brother of Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed, who was serving as the managing director of Housing Development Corporation (HDC) – the state corporation in charge of managing Hulhumale’.

At least 24 people were barred from leaving the country as both the police and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigates the case. This includes, Fazeel, Fazul, and Akram Kamaluddin – who served as state minister for housing in the MDP administration.

In a press statement on Monday, the police announced that travel bans on nine of the individuals have been lifted.

While the police did not identify the nine individuals in question, the agency said that it does include Fazul or Fazeel.

Police added that the decision was made following discussions with Prosecutor General Abbas Shareef, who has directed the police and ACC to conduct a larger investigation into both the ‘Binveriya’ scheme and the ‘Gedhoruveriya’ scheme – another housing project launched by the MDP administration.

In a press conference held on the night of December 18 – as angry protestors surrounded the HDC headquarters in Hulhumale’ – Fazul denied the allegations against HDC, insisting that the corporation has no involvement in issuing plots under the ‘Binveriya’ scheme.

He also played off the implication of his brother as a mere “coincidence”, and insisted that the situation does not pose a conflict of interest.

Fazeel, as well as Fazul and the entire board of HDC, except for chairperson Ahmed Nasif, and at least four top officials in the corporation’s management, were placed under suspension the next day.

Fazul tendered his resignation on December 21, after more documents leaked on social media suggesting multiple individuals were  issued apartments from Vinares by the HDC based on forged payment slips to SeaLife Global after it was decided to compensate victims of the SeaLife scam with the apartments.

In his resignation later, Fazul maintained his innocence but said he decided to resign to “make for the investigation” into the case.

He was replaced with former construction minister Mohamed Mauroof Jameel the next day. And on December 24, the Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB) lifted the suspension on the HDC's board.

The police have conducted raids on the private residences of both Fazul and Fazeel as part of the investigation, and confirmed the seizure of evidence, including several electronic devices.

The corruption scandal comes amid mounting public frustration over the delay in handover of flats and land awarded under the 'Binveriya' and 'Gedhoruveriya' housing schemes.