The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has initiated duty prosecution consultations with the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office to decide on pressing charges against individuals involved in the Gedhoruverin (Homeowner) scheme flat allocation case, which the ACC has been investigating.
Towards the end of the previous government’s term, a list of flat recipients was made public. Following numerous complaints, the ACC halted the process. The relevant ministry of the previous government also announced the suspension of flat allocations as per ACC’s instructions.
After investigation, the ACC stated that 60% of the recipients of the 4,000 flats allocated by the previous government did not meet the eligibility criteria. However, the ACC has permitted the ministry to proceed with allocating flats to those who were correctly awarded points and met the criteria. The ministry responsible for housing has also indicated that they need more time to publish a provisional list of flat recipients.
The ACC stated today that they will work as quickly as possible to complete the duty prosecution phase of this case, which is of significant public interest, and to request charges against those who can be prosecuted. The 4,000 flats under the “Gedhoruverin” scheme are being constructed with a $227 million sovereign guarantee from India’s Exim Bank to the Maldivian government.
This project is being carried out by India’s JMC Projects Limited and National Buildings Construction Company (NBCC). Of the 32 towers in this project, NBCC is constructing 16 towers, while JMC is working on the other 16.
These towers include 2,800 three-bedroom apartments and 1,200 two-bedroom apartments. The two-bedroom apartments are 650 square feet units, while the three-bedroom apartments are 900 square feet. As these are spacious apartments, HDC stated that basic services will be available in each building before handing over the flats to the public and before people start living in them.
