Parliament Committee Decides to Share ACC Flat List with Former Committee Heads

Parliament’s Committee convened yesterday, reaching a decision to disclose the list of flats compiled by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to the former heads of the flat committee. 

The move came amidst ongoing investigations into alleged irregularities surrounding the allocation of flats under the housing scheme initiated during the previous administration.

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During the session, Baarah MP Ahmed Abdulla proposed sharing the ACC’s flat list with former Planning Ministry State Minister Akram Kamaluddin and Senior Executive Director Mohamed Arif. 

However, Committee Chair and Addu Meedhoo MP Rozaina Adam highlighted the absence of the flat list during discussions concerning tomorrow’s meeting on the Gedhoruveriya housing scheme flats. She emphasized the necessity for officials to have access to pertinent information to address queries effectively.

Accompanying the flat list, the ACC submitted a letter to Parliament urging the preservation of confidentiality due to the ongoing investigation. While members of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and The Democrats supported sharing the list with Akram and Arif, members of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) opposed the move.

Following deliberations, the committee voted in favour of sharing the ACC flat list with the former flat committee, with five out of eight members present supporting the decision.

The ACC’s investigation revealed significant inconsistencies in the allocation of the initial 4,000 flats under the previous administration’s housing scheme. It was found that many recipients did not meet the eligibility criteria. The commission also compiled a list differentiating between eligible and ineligible recipients, which has been shared with the Housing Ministry.

Senior officials from the ACC and the Housing Ministry have been repeatedly summoned by Parliament’s Committee on Independent Institutions and the Committee on National Development and Heritage. 

After two months of investigation, the ACC determined that 60 percent of the listed recipients did not meet the eligibility criteria, while 20.7 percent were deemed eligible without fault. Additionally, 19.7 percent of applications contained misinformation despite meeting the criteria.