The Prosecutor General's Office (PGO), on Monday, sent back the case lodged by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) against Male' City Mayor Shifa Mohamed, regarding the development of a park in the South-East coast of Male'.
PG Office media official and public prosecutor Ahmed Shafeeu stated that ACC's case, submitted on September 29, was sent back to allow the commission to revise certain aspects. He noted that this included processes that need to completed before charges could be pressed, as well as aspects of the investigative process.
ACC moved to seek charges against Mayor Shifa after the commission's investigations into the development of a park on the South-East coast of Male' found that that the construction of on-site public toilets were handed over to Amin Construction without a bidding process or a legal agreement.
The corruption watchdog further alleged that the construction of the facility commenced prior to receiving an official green-light from the state.
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)-aligned Maafannu North Councilor Mohamed Fazeen first blew the whistle on the alleged scandal in October 2019. He noted that multiple companies were contracted for the park and that development operations were being conducted without approval from the council.
As per the Public Finance Act, any project that costs over MVR 35,000 must be open for public tender and awarded through a competitive process. Shifa had previously confirmed that the project costed millions.
The Male' City Mayor has officially denied the allegations of corruption against her, describing the claims as a personal attack.
Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem has withdrawn from the case over a potential conflict of interest as he is related to the mayor.
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