Malé City Council ordered to pay MVR 1.1 million to state over landing craft corruption

Civil Court yesterday ordered Malé City Council to pay MVR 1.1 million to Maldives Customs Service as import duty of a landing craft which was procured for Malé Municipality 16 years ago.

The procurement of this landing craft became controversial after the municipality, which existed before Malé City Council came to be, was accused of being involved in corruption.

Back in 2008, the vessel was brought in for the waste management section of the office via a private third party. Following corruption allegations, the then section head and former MP of Kaashidhoo constituency Ismail Abdul Raheem was exiled to one and half years in 2011 by the Criminal Court. Abdul Raheem lost his seat at the parliament over this as well.

Regarding the landing craft, Maldives Customs sued Malé City Council for refusing to pay the import duty owed for the vessel, since 2015.

In response, the council said in court that they would not be required to pay the import duty as the vessel was imported under corrupt circumstances.

However, the Civil Court disagreed and said that since the landing craft was brought in under the council's name, corruption being involved in the process is not a reason for the import duty to not be paid.

As such, the council was ordered to pay the MVR 1.1 million within 30 days of the verdict.