President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated there is no greater evil to the country than to think it is legitimate to make money by whatever means possible. He made the remark at the Anti-Corruption Conference organised by Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) held at Bandos Maldives.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Anti-Corruption Conference, President Solih said no acts of deliberate corruption within the state should be condoned and encouraged, adding there is no greater evil than being in charge of the state and seeking and encouraging illegal profiting. He said mismanagement and illegal profiting within the state should not be glorified and urged all government agencies to refrain from corrupt acts.
Furthermore, President Solih stated the negative manners that are rooted in the state cannot be improved immediately when the role of government changes and a new government takes over. However, the president said that important steps have been taken since taking office to keep the state institutions free from corruption, highlighting a portal that has been established to submit cases of corruption within various government ministries and companies. So far, 311 cases have been submitted to the ACC, and out of these, 146 cases include cases related to companies, land, flats, procurement, and issues related to salaries and wages, the president noted citing statistics.
Moreover, President Solih said major changes have been made to existing laws and new laws have been introduced to curb corruption and reduce any chances of corruption. He also said the ACC will not be influenced by the government in its efforts to investigate corruption, adding corruption will have the opportunity to investigate any case independently and without any influence.