The enforcement of anti-corruption laws and ensuring equal treatment for all suspects is essential to eradicating the pervasive corruption that has long afflicted the nation, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has asserted. His statement comes in the wake of the Prosecutor General's Office's decision to annul immunity agreements with several individuals implicated in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) scandal.
The MMPRC scandal, considered the most extensive corruption and embezzlement case of state funds in recent history, has spurred major legal actions. President Dr Muizzu praised the Prosecutor General's Office on social media for retracting immunity agreements with several individuals implicated in the scandal.
Initially, immunity agreements were granted to individuals who pledged to aid the investigation and assist in recuperating the embezzled funds. However, these agreements have now been rescinded for former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Ghafoor, along with Ahmed Ishfah Ali, Mohamed Allam Latheef, and Mohamed Hussain. The Prosecutor General's Office also noted that the immunity agreement with Abdulla Ziyath had been rescinded in August 2022.
President Dr Muizzu praised the decision to revoke the immunity agreements, which, according to him, had previously hindered the state from pursuing further legal actions against those implicated in the MMPRC scandal and had conferred certain privileges upon them. The elimination of corruption in the country necessitates the stringent enforcement of laws against all suspects, he reaffirmed.
The immunity agreements were originally designed to aid the investigation into the corruption and embezzlement of state funds and to assist in the recovery of the misappropriated funds. However, the individuals granted immunity did not provide the required support for the investigation and failed to help recover the embezzled funds, according to the Prosecutor General's Office.
Subsequent to the revocation of the immunity agreements, the Prosecutor General's Office has instructed the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to restart investigations into these individuals' involvement in the corruption scandal. The investigations are to be concluded, and the cases submitted for prosecution, according to the prosecutor's office.