MVR 2.1 million exploited for personal use of State Minister and Deputy State Ministers

It has come to light that the Minister of State and Deputy Ministers of State who headed the central-north area during the previous administration has spent MVR 2.1 million for their personal use from the institution’s budget.

The State Minister in charge of the institution was Monaza Mohamed Naeem.

The Central-north Regional Office was being administered under the Ministery of Home Affairs. The regional office was ordered to be dissolved on the 13th of February 2012 by the new administration and was then audited.

The audit report released on the 17th of February 2013 signed by the Auditor General stated that the State Minister, two Deputy Ministers and Province Coordinator had received a living allowance of total sum of MVR 1,600,000 during 2009 until 22nd March 2012, and that they had rented additional accommodation in Kaafu Maafushi paid by the regional office budget, which summed up to an illegal spending of MVR 2,102,062.

In 2011, a total of MVR 3.2 million was spent by the Central-north office on salaries and allowances. From this, a majority of MVR 1.8 million was spent on salaries and allowances for political posts, while they amount of days they had signed into the office is less than the days they had come to work.

The audit report noted that the Ministry of Home Affairs had repeatedly advised the Ministry of Finance and Treasury to not allow the State Minister and his deputies to make personal payments through the state budget, but the report stated that the Central-north office and Finance Ministry had not heeded the Home Ministry’s advice.

Ibrahim Aboobakuru, Rangaleege Alif Dhaalu Maamigili held the one of the Deputy State Minister posts in the Central-north Regional Office.

The Auditor General’s report also stated instances where, from 2009 until November 2010, large payments were made for the phone bills of those who help political posts in the Central-north office. While no law existed at that time which stipulated guidelines regarding phone bill payments, a total of MVR 78,413 was spent for mobile phone bills for those in political positions.

The report stated that a deputy state minister for Central-north office had used a mobile number 7796747 for personal use. While the number was registered under the office, a total of MVR 63,333 had accumulated to the phone bill, and the report said that the bill has so far not been settled.

The report also highlighted that another number 7778776, also registered under the office, had accumulated MVR 12,080 by the end of March 2012, and that the bill too had not been settled.

The report noted and incident where an amount of MVR 38,079 was provided to the person who held the post of State Secretary for the Central-north office, for the purpose of conducting a workshop to discuss guidelines on repairing and maintaining the harbours. The money has so far not been accounted. The report also states that the Atoll Councilor appointed by the president for Alif Dhaalu atoll had received salary even after he had stopped attending work.

The Central-north office had also spent an amount of MVR 559,910 for fuel costs on unaccounted speed boat trips, and different unrelated parties have taken part in these trips where the Central-north office budget had paid for their food and travel allowances. The report highlights that the travel records log book contains an entry; “Bound for Male’ for MDP protests”, and that the fuel cost for the trip amounting to MVR 6960 was also paid from the office account.

While the central north office had hired different parities for different projects on contract, the report shows that cost estimates were submitted citing the names of different parties where the same party was the receiving source. The report noted that projects were awarded with prejudice.

As such, yesterday’s audit report states that while a certain party had submitted an estimate cost of MVR 357,900 for the refurbishing of Kaafu Maafushi womens development committee office, which was taken under the authority of the Central-north office, the party that submitted the estimate was awarded the project with an additional MVR 99,752, and that the party was also awarded a different project of amount MVR 50,500, and that his was done against public finance regulations.

President Nasheed had divided the atolls to 7 provinces. The province offices later became Regional Offices under the Decentralization Act, which established the Central-north Regional Office.