Prosecutor General (PG) Hussain Shameem has stated the charges against the beneficiaries of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption scandal will be pressed in court very soon.
Speaking on a radio programme, PG Shameem said MMPRC case is among the top priority cases currently under review by the PG Office. He noted weekly meetings are held with the Presidential Commission on Corruption and Asset Recovery, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and Maldives Police Service (MPS) in relation to the investigation of the case. He said there is no influence on the PG Office with regards to the MMPRC case, adding the beneficiaries will be charged in court very soon.
Speaking further, PG Shameem said the biggest challenge faced in the case is the amount of time which has passed since the scandal, which occurred between 2014 and 2015. As such, he noted several beneficiaries have already exhausted the funds received through MMPRC.
Shameem further stated the PG Office will not hesitate to press charges against any individual who received benefits from the scandal, even if the person is a current government official, parliamentarian or a senior official from the previous government. He said the PG Office will work on ensuring the MMPRC beneficiaries receive their rightful punishment, which would serve as a warning for others who wish to indulge in corruption and theft of state funds.
During a press conference held in July, the Presidential Commission on Corruption and Asset Recovery revealed 37 islands and 12 lagoons had been fraudulently leased through MMPRC for resort development between 2014 and 2015. The commission said the total price of the islands alone amount to USD 210 million, while the total amount embezzled would rise to at least USD 260 million if the lagoons are priced.
Meanwhile, the initial investigation report of ACC identified 267 beneficiaries of the scandal, including 44 ex-parliamentarians, 16 sitting parliamentarians, 7 judges, 7 senior officials of the current government, 5 senior officials of independent institutions and 23 officers from security forces.