Corruption case against ex-AG Anil sent to ACC

The Anti-Corruption Commission, on Wednesday, received a case against former Attorney General Mohamed Anil, alleging that he accepted a bribe of MVR 22 million from former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb.

ACC confirmed that a citizen submitted two cases against the former AG. However, the commission did not reveal any additional details.

Anil supposedly purchased an apartment and a car in Malaysia.

The former AG was reported to be one of the few individuals with access to the room in which the Maldives Marketing and Pubic Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption scandal was plotted as well as Adeeb's close companion during the latter's period in power. He also had access to the private office of the previous MMPRC managing director Abdulla Ziyath.

Several allegations were raised against Anil over the MMPRC corruption scandal. Anil removed himself from the political sphere when President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom's term ended and has yet to reply to any of the allegations against him.

Included among the other allegations against Anil is a claim that he misused his position as Attorney General to hire staff.

Anil is alleged to have appointed an individual that did not meet the selection criteria to the position of state attorney. The individual in question was reportedly chosen from a list sent from the office of the then-first lady Fathimath Ibrahim.

He is also accused of accepting bribes during the procedure to issue sovereign guarantees to secure loans from China's Exim Bank for Sun Siyam Group, the company of Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) leader and former Meedhoo MP Mohamed Siyam.

The individual who submitted the cases to ACC asserted that former president Adeeb was aware of the aforementioned actions.

When ACC questioned Anil during the previous administration, he stated that he was unaware that corruption occurred through MMPRC.

It was during Anil's term that the Supreme Court's landmark ruling of February 1, 2018, to release several key political prisoners was not implemented. The government then announced a state of emergency on February 5 and arrested two judges, after which the remaining three judges withdrew the ruling.

The former AG was also among the political leaders that pressured Supreme Court judges to rule that parliamentarians who crossed the floor and joined the opposition must lose their seat.