Former Vice President Abdulla Jihad has been charged with acquiring illicit wealth from the state.
The state pressed charges against Jihad in Civil Court over continuing to use the two apartments in Rehendhi Flats that were awarded to him by the state to use during his tenure as vice president under the administration of former President Abdulla Yameen. The Attorney General’s Office (AG Office) stated Jihad continued to use the two apartments even after the former administration came to an end, failing to evacuate the apartments upon the order of the state. The AG Office said Jihad evacuated the apartments on February 17, 2020, having used the apartments for 1 year and 3 months illegally.
The state is charging Jihad with acquiring illicit wealth from the state. Under the charges, the state is calling for a compensation of USD 71,813 from Jihad for using state property without legal status. The figure includes compensation for rent, maintenance fees and utilities fees.
The administration was awarded 10 apartments from Rehendhi Flats that were constructed by a private party. While 8 of these apartments were sold for senior officials of independent institutions, the remaining two apartments were set as the official residence of former Vice President Abdulla Jihad upon his appointment to the position in 2016. He was appointed to the position eight months after former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb was removed from office.