CP Shujau meets ACC members to discuss probe into ‘Binveriya’ corruption scandal

Commissioner of Police Ali Shujau met with members of the Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday, as both institutions investigate allegations that the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) gave land plots under the ‘Binveriya’ housing scheme to people who were not on the list of recipients.

The meeting comes a day after documents leaked on social media appeared to show that multiple people were given land from Hulhumale’ under the ‘Binveriya’ scheme despite not being on the list of recipients released in 2023 during the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration.

This includes HDC’s managing director Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed’s older brother Mohamed Fazeel Rasheed, the deputy managing director of Male’ Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC).

Fazeel, as well as the entire board of HDC, except for chairman Ahmed Nasif, and at least four top officials in the coorporation's management, have been placed under suspension.

It also comes after Prosecutor General Abbas Shareef ordered the police and the ACC to conduct a comprehensive criminal investigation into the application, selection and issuance of housing under both the 'Binveriya' scheme and the 'Gedhoruveriya' scheme - another housing project launched during the previous administration.

In a post on X on Thursday afternoon, the police said that CP Shujau, accompanied by other top police officials, met with members of the ACC for “extensive discussions” regarding the investigation into the case.

In addition to ordering an investigation into the housing schemes, Abbas also instructed the police and the ACC to provide weekly updates on the investigations and to conduct a speedy investigation.

Documents shared with Sun by a credible source include a letter sent by HDC to the Housing Ministry dated July 24, seeking to clarify the owner of Hulhumale’ lot number 20768 – after the corporation received applications from two different individuals – one of them Fazeel - who claimed to have received the plot under the ‘Binveriya’ scheme and asked for permission to build boundary walls around the property.

In response to the letter as well as other similar inquiries, the Housing Ministry wrote back on August 15 that the ‘Binveriya’ database does not show the individuals mentioned in HDC’s letters to have submitted applications under the scheme.

The Housing Ministry also said that Hulhumale’ lot number 20768 as well as another lot – 20821 – had not been awarded by the ministry to anyone. These two plots are claimed by a total of six people.

The final list of recipients of the ‘Binveriya’ scheme publicized in August 2023 lists Fazeel as an applicant, but also shows he was deemed ineligible as he had already been awarded housing under a different social housing scheme.

However, the leaked documents show Fazeel has a land registry for the plot, signed by Housing Ministry’s director general Ahmed Vishan Naseem and dated September 11, 2023.

In a press conference held on Thursday night – as angry protestors surrounded the HDC headquarters in Hulhumale’ – Fazul denied the allegations against HDC, insisting that the corporation has no involvement in issuing plots under the ‘Binveriya’ scheme.

He also played off the implication of his brother as a mere “coincidence”, and insisted that the situation does not pose a conflict of interest.

9,003 plots of land were awarded under phase one of the ‘Binveriya’ housing scheme, from land reclaimed or being reclaimed from Hulhumale’, Gulhifalhu and Giraavarufalhi.

Meanwhile, over 15,000 people were guaranteed flats under the ‘Gedhoruveriya’ scheme. The MDP administration had released a list of the recipients of the first 4,000 units under the scheme in 2023 – but the handover of the flats was halted by the ACC following allegations of corruption in the selection process, before finally giving the Housing Ministry the go-ahead to proceed in February.

The Housing Ministry has been reviewing the list in the ten months since.

The corruption scandal comes amid mounting public frustration over the delay in handover of flats and land awarded under the two housing schemes.