Jawaz denies accepting any money on behalf of FAM amid scrutiny over MVR 30M in missing lease payments

Hussain Jawaz, the former secretary general of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), denied accepting any money on behalf of the association on Saturday, after a special audit uncovered the disappearance of nearly MVR 30 million in lease payments from the land allocated to FAM from Hulhumale’ to build an international-standard football training facility.

As per the Audit Office's special audit report, FAM subleased plots to 15 parties, between 2021 and 2024.

The audit shows that while the FAM had been supposed to earn around MVR 52 million from the subleases, around MVR 30 million of which went missing.

This includes MVR 14.1 million from cash and cheque payments for the sublease of plots and floors. The receipts for these payments were signed, but the money was not deposited into FAM's accounts. The association's records do not show the transactions occurring with physical cash either.

Theese receipts were signed by three top officials at the time; Jawaz and the association’s former president Bassam Adeel Jaleel and former finance head Mohamed Ageel.

The audit shows Ageel collected MVR 9.9 million and Bassam MVR 3 million, while Jawaz personally collected MVR 1.2 million in cash payments.

Jawaz, who currently serves as a deputy minister at the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information, and Arts, told Sun on Saturday night that he told auditors he never accepted any payments on behalf of FAM.

But he said he did accept cheques on multiple occasions.

“Any document that I may have accepted, if it is a financial document, then it does to the Finance Department. To either Ageel or Bassam,” he said.

Bassam is currently serving 32 years in prison for embezzling FAM’s funds, while Ageel, who also faces embezzlement charges, was recently arrested while on the run overseas.