ACC: MMPRC report wasn’t publicized because a specific administration is in power

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)’s investigative report on the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) embezzlement case wasn’t publicized because a specific administration is in power, says ACC.

Members of the ACC were summoned for questioning regarding the commission’s investigative report on the MMPRC case by the Public Finance Committee of the Parliament this Wednesday.

Members of the ACC, during the meeting, was asked by Thimarafushi MP Mohamed Mustafa why the investigative report wasn’t publicized during former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration, when the illegal transactions took place.

Vice President of ACC, Muaviz Rasheed responded that the report wasn’t publicized because a specific administration was in power.

He said that though the report wasn’t publicly released until February 14, 2019, it was shared with the Prosecutor General’s Office as soon was completed, and with other relevant State institutions on October 17, 2017.

Muaviz explained ACC’s policy for release of its investigative information.

“The policy for release cases completed by the commission is that the cases forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s Office following investigation by the commission, once the Prosecutor General accepts the cases and send notice to the people involved regarding the cases, we publish the information to the public as statements on our website. The cases which aren’t sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office are published on a monthly basis,” said Muaviz.

He said that the ACC made the decision to publicize the entire report, despite its standard protocol, in face of enormous public concern and requests.

“Due to the overwhelming public concern regarding the case, complaints sent from citizens, the spread of different rumors among the public, politicians and non-politicians, we found it important to publicly release this information, and did so,” said Muaviz.

Member of ACC, Aminath Minna said that some within the ACC, at the time of the public release of the report, had opposed publicizing the report because several investigations connected to MMRC remained open.