Charges Sought Against Mayor Saud and Three Former Councillors for Unlawful Land Allocation in Thinadhoo

Charges have been sought against GDh. Thinadhoo Mayor Saud Ali and three former councillors over the alleged unlawful allocation and leasing of land to a private company, the Anti-Corruption Commission has said.

The commission alleges that former councillors Aminath Naseema, Ahmeema Ahmed and Aishath Liusha Zubair supported and passed a resolution at the council’s 111th official meeting to allocate land to a private company seeking to operate a cooking gas business without conducting a public tender.

According to the ACC, the decision breached the Regulation on Allocation of Land for Non-Residential Purposes, which requires land intended for industrial or commercial activities to be allocated through a public bidding process.

The commission alleges that the decision was made to provide an unlawful benefit to the company.

The ACC further said that Saud Ali, who was serving as council president at the time, signed an agreement with the company on 1 November 2023 on behalf of the council.

It said that, in addition to the initial land allocation, three plots measuring 2,000 square feet each were unlawfully leased to the company.

The ACC has requested that the Prosecutor General’s Office file charges against all four individuals under Section 513(b) of the Penal Code, which concerns misuse of official authority to provide an unlawful advantage.