Thinadhoo Mayor Given 10 Days to Appoint Counsel in Population Fraud Case

The Criminal Court has given Thinadhoo City Mayor Saud Ali 10 days to appoint a lawyer to defend him against charges alleging that he provided false information to government authorities during the process of granting Thinadhoo city status.

The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has filed two criminal charges against Saud under the Penal Code:

• Relating to the alleged provision of false or forged documents.
• Relating to the alleged provision of false information to public officials or law enforcement.

A preliminary hearing in the case was held at 9am today, during which the court granted the mayor 10 days to secure legal representation.

According to the PGO, the case relates to documents Saud submitted to the Local Government Authority (LGA) to demonstrate that Thinadhoo had reached the population threshold required to obtain city status.

Prosecutors allege that Saud submitted a letter and population list to the LGA on 4 September 2022 claiming that the island had a population of at least 10,000. The PGO asserts that this list contained inaccurate information, including the names of deceased individuals and unverified data.

When the LGA subsequently requested an authenticated list containing national identity card numbers, Saud signed and submitted a second letter on 13 August 2023. The PGO alleges that the revised list claimed a population of 10,150 by including duplicate entries and individuals registered on other islands.

The PGO further alleges that during the investigation into the alleged population falsification, the Maldives Police Service requested copies of the population records submitted to government agencies.

Prosecutors state that Saud failed to provide the requested documents and falsely informed police investigators that no such records were maintained.