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ACC submits charges to PGO on Dhuvaafaru corruption case

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has requested the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) to file charges against eight individuals of the Dhuvaafaru Island Council involved in a corruption case.

ACC stated that 12 individuals were involved in the corruption case identified by a special monitoring report of the Dhuvaafaru Island council prepared by the Local Government Authority (LGA). After the duty prosecution, ACC stated that the eight individuals to be prosecuted included former members and some employees of the council. ACC said all of them have been charged under Section 513 of the Penal Code, abuse of official position for illegal gain, embezzlement of state property and money under Section 516 of the same Act, and acting otherwise in a matter for public benefit under Section 517 of the same Act.

ACC stated that LGA requested investigative authorities to take action against the Dhuvaafaru Island Council over corruption related to its handling of administrative and financial tasks in July 2022. The commission said that a team travelled to Dhuvaafaru on August 25 and reviewed the relevant documents and interviewed individuals related to the case as well as looking into the details of the island council’s financial transactions. The investigation was completed within two months and sent to the duty prosecution.

LGA also released a report on the corruption in Dhuvaafaru. The report highlighted the corrupt financial transactions within the council. The report published showed multiple incidents of the council mismanaging its finances, including corruption related to the handling of Zakat payments, handing over projects without bids in order to benefit council employees, and conducting business dealings without filing the necessary documentation. As such, the council was found to have transferred funds to the council director, the council president, and its members, as well as the women’s development committee (WDC) and contract employees without clear indications as to the purpose of the transfer. LGA has found that the council has transferred huge sums of money.