PGO Appeals Dismissal of Corruption Case Against Former VP

The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has lodged an appeal against the Criminal Court’s decision to dismiss a corruption case involving former Maldivian Vice President and Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad.

Jihad, who currently serves as the chairperson of the Maldives International Financial Services Authority (MIFSA), was charged in 2021 with leveraging his position to secure or confer an undue advantage, thereby depriving the state of a potential benefit. This charge arose from an investigation into a project aimed at developing K. Fushidhiggarufalhu as a special tourism zone.

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The case was dismissed on July 25 by Judge Hussain Faiz Rashad, who ruled that it could not be tried under the civil standard of proof. The PGO has contested this decision, arguing that the court failed to provide a constitutional basis or sufficient explanation for its ruling.

The charges against Jihad relate to a decision he made in 2013, during his tenure as finance minister under former President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan. Jihad was accused of signing a joint venture agreement for the Fushidhiggaru project with Prime Capital Maldives Limited, which provided for a 25 percent government share, contrary to the cabinet’s decision for a 50 percent share. This deviation allegedly resulted in a substantial loss for the state.

The cabinet’s decision, made on November 29, 2011, had stipulated that the government would not invest capital but would receive land rent from the project. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, had the original agreement been upheld, the state would have earned approximately USD 604,713,750 (MVR 9.32 billion) in land rent alone over 50 years.

Jihad faced a potential sentence of five years in prison, banishment, or house arrest if convicted. The case was initially investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which found no evidence of corruption in 2016. Subsequently, the PGO requested an investigation from the Presidential Commission on Corruption and Asset Recovery.

Jihad, who had also faced a separate legal issue regarding an apartment at the Rehendhi-3 complex, had his case dropped in January following the change in administration. He distanced himself from active politics after the 2018 election and later served as a special advisor to Jumhoory Party leader Qasim Ibrahim. He rejoined the PPM-PNC on September 23, 2023, after the first round of the presidential elections.