Fayyaz: Police tell me investigation opened at minister’s orders

Fayyaz Ismail, the chairperson of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), says that multiple police officers have told him that the corruption investigation into Road Development Corporation (RDC) was opened at orders from a government minister.

He made the remark during the opening of the campaign center of Abdulla Waheed, the MDP’s candidate for the Dhidhdhoo parliamentary seat, on Thursday night.

Fayyaz, who served as economic minister during the MDP administration, was questioned by the police in connection to the investigation earlier on Thursday. According to the summons, which Fayyaz shared on X on Wednesday, he is suspected of financial gain from transactions involving embezzlement of RDC’s funds.

However, he had denied the allegation against him, describing the investigation against him as an attempt to intimidate the public.

Addressing Thursday night’s rally, Fayyaz said that there were several police officers he is on speaking terms with when he presented himself to the police headquarters.

“Some of the police officers told me, what can they do… That this is just how it is now. They said it’s the minister who now tells them what to investigate,” he said.

He did not specify which minister he was referring to.

Fayyaz said that a government minister cannot give such orders, and accused the incumbent administration of complete disregard for the rule of the law.

“Why would they? They have no respect for democracy or the rule of the law. PNC believes only in tyranny. It does not even occur to them that they are bound by law,” he said.

Fayyaz alleged that the incumbent administration had “grinded and smashed” the country’s laws and manipulated it to serve their needs over the last four months. He said that the only shield against it is for MDP to maintain its majority in the Parliament.

The police previously said it was investigating a case involving the transfer of RDC’s funds to the bank accounts of the companies owned by top government officials as well as their personal accounts.

In a post on X after his visit to the police headquarters, Fayyaz said the police told him that he wasn’t summoned as a suspect in a criminal investigation, but to clarify information.

He added that the information in question was already available on audit reports.

“The purpose of the government in conducting this investigation is to create fear within the hearts of the Maldivian people by persecuting me,” he wrote. “Using the police service for political purposes hinders the police from fulfilling their duties. I appeal for a cease in such unlawful acts.”