Saud on allegations: Land award in line with regulations, not scared of prosecution

Thinadhoo City Mayor Saud Ali, on Sunday night, said that the land award to a private company to provide cooking gas services was carried out in accordance with regulations, adding that he remains unfazed by the possibility of facing legal charges.

On September 10th, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) decided to seek charges against the Mayor and three other council members of the fourth session of the GDh. Thinadhoo Council. They are accused of abusing their official positions to provide undue advantages by unlawfully leasing land to a private entity for a cooking gas business.

The other council members facing charges are Aminath Naseema, Ahmeema Ahmed, and Aishath Liusha Zubair. The ACC has requested the Prosecutor General’s Office to charge them under Section 513(b) of the Penal Code for misuse of official authority.

The ACC noted that regulations governing the lease of land for non-residential purposes expressly prohibit allocating land for industrial or commercial activities without conducting a public bidding process.

According to the ACC, however, the council decided during its 111th formal meeting to lease land to the company without issuing a public announcement. Under an agreement signed on November 1, 2023, three plots with a combined area of 2,000 square feet were allegedly allocated in violation of the applicable procedures.

Rejecting the allegations, Mayor Saud told Sun that the accusations were baseless and that the land award did not provide any undue advantage. He further alleged that the matter was referred to the commissions because the council had intervened to facilitate an essential service for residents after the government failed to provide cooking gas.

The Mayor stressed that attempts to obstruct the provision of basic services to residents, when carried out in accordance with regulations, would not deter him and said he was not concerned about the prospect of facing legal charges.

Meanwhile, on the first of this month, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced that two additional charges had been filed against Saud in connection with the alleged unlawful designation of Thinadhoo as a city. The charges relate to knowingly providing false documents and supplying false information to official state agencies. If convicted, Saud could face a maximum prison sentence of two years.

Speaking about that case previously, Saud said that although he may face a "political sentence" and imprisonment, he would remain committed to advocating for the rights of the people of Thinadhoo.