Fazeel builds boundary wall on land in question

Despite it having come to light Housing Development Corporation Managing Director Fazul Rasheed's brother, Fazeel Rasheed, was not granted land under the Binveriya housing scheme, it has been found that he has already commenced building the boundary walls on the land plot he claims as having been allocated to him.

Housing Ministry has said that Fazeel is not amongst the recipients of land plots in Hulhumale', nor does he meet the requirements. However, he submitted a letter to HDC seeking permission to build a boundary wall on land he claims was granted to him, together with a copy of the land registry.

Fazeel submitted the letter seeking the permit on June 30, 2024. HDC, as per their policies, sent the case to the Ministry of Housing, Land and Urban Development to verify the owner of the land plot, along with a similar request from another individual, Abdul Majeed Mahir.

While the Binveriya scheme is dedicated for residents of capital Male' City, Mahir has his permanent registration in Haa Alif atoll Dhihdhoo.

On August 15, Housing Ministry responded to the query, stating that the two are not included in the list of recipients of land plots, and that the two plots in question have not yet been allocated to any persons.

Five months later, the documents began being circulated on social media, leading to public outrage. Subsequently, police have now commenced an investigation into the matter.

Privatization and Corporatization Board have meanwhile suspended HDC's board, including Fazul. The only member of the board not suspended is Chairman Ahmed Nasif, who was only appointed to the post on November 6.

While this investigation has now commenced, the land in question currently is in the process of having a boundary wall built around it, with the current structure being about four feet high. While it is evident that work was conducted fairly recently, equipment and material necessary for the work are still seen on the land.

While the Housing Ministry has declared that the land has not yet been allocated to any persons, it is unclear if the wall was built with HDC's permission. HDC has also not commented on the matter.

Fazul, too, declined from responding to this question even at last night's press conference. He, instead, claimed that there would be no wall on the land plot.

Questioned by media last night, Fazul said that the matter had not been reported to police despite irregularities having been noticed, but rather, HDC had raised queries with the Housing Ministry to clear up any discrepancies. He said that further verifications were being made even after having received the response from the Housing Ministry.

Journalists further persisted in their questioning, asking why the matter had been held undisclosed for five months, and if this had to do with Fazul's own brother being involved.

In response, Fazul asserted that there would be no conflict of interest on his part.