Malé, Maldives – Sports Minister Ahmed Mahloof tweeted calling out President of Anti Corruption Commission Maryam Shiuna to resign from her post if she does not know how to do her job.
Currently suspended Minister Mahloof, said in his tweet that the Anti Corruption Commission released a big statement when sending his case to the Prosecutor General (PG) Office, however now remains still when it has been returned by the PG Office to complete some elements.
Mahloof said that he will not be made into a sport. He further said that he is not Shiuna’s toy ball and that it will be better if she resigns if she doesn’t know how to do things.
According to the investigation carried out by Maldives Police Service, Presidential Commission on Corruption and Asset Recovery and Anti Corruption Commission over the MMPRC corruption, Mahloof had taken a bribe of USD 33,000 to vote for the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Bill and also to remain in Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).
In addition to this, the joint investigation also showed that the investigation was able to link the text messages exchanged between Mahloof and Former Vice President of Maldives, Ahmed Adeeb (Bro) and the money deposited by SOF cheque of USD 33,000 to Mahloof to the vote taken in parliament as a bribe.
Mahloof, in his defence, says that he was a PPM Council member at the time of the vote of SEZ bill and voted as per the three-line whip set out for the vote by the party.
Initially the Tourism Minister of the former administration, Ahmed Adeeb who was well known as “Bro” and was the most influential minister during the previous administration who rose within the political ranks to be Vice President of the Maldives after an orchestrated no-confidence vote of the then Vice President Mohamed Jameel Ahmed who is now again back in the opposition PPM as an advisor.
Adeeb was accused of using state funds which he and his close allies embezzled that he used to bribe politicians, judges and others in high positions in different institutions when he was in the government and he was well known for funding local gangs. It was also revealed that Mahloof had given forged documents to Anti-Corruption Commission in an attempt to show that he had done a legitimate transaction to purchase dollars from SOF.
Mahloof also accused that some names from the list had been removed due to political influence before being published and that he was being treated unfairly in the investigation. Mahloof also added that if the investigation was being carried out without any bias against him that he would not remain in his position as a minister for even a single day.
