Corruption case against Rishwan referred to duty prosecution

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has referred a case against Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) CEO, Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH)’s former Deputy CEO Mohamed Rishwan to duty prosecution, seeking charges.

Duty prosecution refers to a preliminary procedure conducted before an investigation is fully complete and the case is formally referred for prosecution.

While the ACC did not respond to repeated questions from Sun, the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) confirmed to Sun that a case involving Rishwan has been referred for duty prosecution. The case relates to corruption connected to the development of Dharumavantha Hospital during former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom’s term, according to the PGO, which did not share further details.

Rishwan held the position of Deputy CEO at IGMH during the latter part of Yameen’s administration. He later worked as a senior official at a private company before being appointed CEO of MPL in February last year.

Rishwan previously served in both the military and the police. He was ranked deputy commissioner of police when he retired from the police force in 2011 during former president Mohamed Nasheed’s administration, citing that he wished “to start his own business.”

Notably, charges have been filed against Pioneer Maldives Pvt Ltd and Island Health Solutions Pvt Ltd – two companies which provided PCR testing services on a large scale during the COVID-19 pandemic – for tax fraud, alongside two doctors, Ikleel Shareef and Abdulla Latheef, directors of Island Health Solutions, and Ali Fayaz, who prepared the financial statements and tax returns for both companies.