Deputy Managing Director of Malé Water and Sewerage Company Pvt. Ltd. (MWSC), Mohamed Fazeel Rasheed, has been suspended. The suspension, announced by the MWSC, was a decision made by its Board of Directors.
According to MWSC, Rasheed's suspension follows an investigation by the Maldives Police Service (MPS) into the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) concerning allegations related to the management of Hulhumalé land plots under the previous government's 'Binveriyaa' housing scheme.
In its statement, MWSC noted that Rasheed was suspended to enable the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations of wrongdoing and to assist in the inquiry. Rasheed has been relieved of all his duties and responsibilities as the deputy managing director, MWSC stated.
The Board of Directors of HDC, except for the chairperson, has also been suspended pending an ongoing investigation into the matter. This suspension was executed by the Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB), which oversees the privatisation and corporatisation of government businesses to ensure transparency, efficiency, and adherence to legal and international best practices.
Among those suspended is HDC’s Managing Director, Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed, the brother of MWSC Deputy Managing Director Rasheed. The police are investigating allegations of document forgery related to the handover of housing plots in Hulhumalé. The police initiated the investigation based on information they received, according to MPS.
The PCB's statement noted that the suspension of the HDC board members was necessary to permit an independent and thorough police investigation. The suspension will remain in effect until the police complete their investigation and the PCB reaches a decision on the matter, it added.
These suspensions follow assurances from Chief Spokesperson at the President's Office, Heena Waleed, that President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's administration remains committed to respecting and upholding the rights of recipients of housing scheme land plots. The Binveriya housing scheme, initiated by the previous government, aimed to provide land plots for residents of Malé City and declared over 9,000 individuals as recipients of these plots.