The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has revealed that the points awarded to individuals who submitted application forms for flats via Gedhoruverin portal were tampered by certain supervisors, leading to the allocation of flats to ineligible applicants.
The ACC had issued a directive to halt the allocation of flats under the Gedhoruveriya Housing Scheme towards the end of the previous government's term. The commission has been summoned by the Independent Institutions Committee of the Parliament to provide additional details about the directive.
Speaking to the committee, Vice President of ACC Abdul Salaam stated that over 7,000 complaints were lodged with the Ministry of National Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure when the final list of flat recipients was released. He mentioned that more than 300 complaints have been filed with the ACC.
Additionally, Salaam informed the committee that the ACC initially requested the ministry to publicly disclose the details of the awarded points on November 5. He explained that the commission ordered the cessation of flat-related activities suspecting unresolved issues in the initial list and a process conducive to corruption on November 15.
Furthermore, Salaam said that the ACC aimed to allow the ministry to continue its work by rectifying the issues without a complete halt. He, however, noted that the ministry, contrary to the ACC's directives, continued its operations. The commission discovered that supervisors were tampering with the points despite the portal automatically generating correct point allocation. He said that points were unfairly distributed, with instances of individuals receiving more points in ineligible categories. He also pointed out instances where points were allocated incorrectly, such as giving credit for having children even to those without, or wrongly considering city residency.
Meanwhile, President of ACC Adam Shamil informed the committee that the portal was designed to verify the authenticity of official documents submitted with the application form. He mentioned that the portal facilitated easy access to information from the Department of National Registration (DNR), the Maldives Pension Administration Office (MPAO), and Civil Service Commission (CSC). He clarified that the portal's functionality was not the issue and said that there were deliberate discrepancies in the rules and regulations for awarding points. He also noted that only a few individuals were involved in finalising the points for the forms.