Criminal Charges Filed Against Akram and Three Others in Housing Allocation Case
Former State Minister of Housing Akram Kamaluddin | Photo: The President’s Office
Criminal charges have been brought against Akram Kamaluddin, a former state minister of the Housing ministry, in accusation of granting flats to individuals who do not fulfill the necessary criteria.
The Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed that, in addition to Akram, charges have been filed against Mohamed Arif, former Senior Executive at the Ministry, Ahmed Vishan Naseem, former Director General at the Ministry, and Lirugam Waheed, former Senior Executive at the Ministry.
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In a statement, the Prosecutor General’s Office indicated that Akram and three others are facing charges for granting additional points to individuals in breach of the points awarding policy. The accusation pertains to the misuse of their official authority.
“It is claimed that certain applicants for apartments were awarded points, and those who did not qualify for the apartments were added to both the temporary and permanent lists of apartment recipients,” the statement read.
The Prosecutor General’s Office claimed that apartments were allocated to individuals who did not qualify, but they did not specify how many individuals received the points. The office also did not clarify the reason for the breach of the points allocation policy.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) carried out the investigation. This investigation was conducted following an order from the Prosecutor General’s Office aimed at speeding up inquiries into cases that involve ‘public interest’.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has stated that further aspects of the case are still being investigated. The investigation is being conducted by the ACC alongside the police.
‘Gedhoruveriya’ is a social housing initiative originally launched by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration. The first 4,000 units were built in Hulhumale’ Phase II by the Fahi Dhiriulhun Corporation (FDC). The MDP administration published the list of recipients for these flats in its final days, but the list soon attracted scrutiny from the ACC, which raised concerns over possible irregularities and corruption in the allocation process. Following an investigation, the ACC ordered the suspension of further flat issuances. In February 2024, the Housing Ministry was given the green light to resume the process, after a thorough review of the applications, which had taken over a year. A revised list was published on February 27, 2024, after the verification process was completed. However, the government decided to revert to the original list compiled by the former administration. FDC began issuing agreements and keys to flat recipients last month.
