ACC has said that it has discovered that a number of councils, as well as companies, had provided fraudulent letters to flat applicants falsely claiming that the applicant had lived in Male' for the required minimum of 15 years.
The Anti Corruption Commission has said that during its investigation into the 'Gedhoruveriya' flat issue, it discovered that a number of councils had provided fraudulent letters falsely claiming that the applicant had lived in Male' for the required minimum of 15 years.
The Commission said it would be further investigating this matter.
One of the conditions for applying for the 'Gedhoruveriya' housing scheme initiated by the previous government is to have lived uninterruptedly in capital Male' City for a period no less than fifteen years. As proof of this, applicants could submit letters from employers, letters from landlords of properties they rented over the years, a letter from the council confirming they have not lived in the specific island for a minimum of fifteen years or leaving certificates from Male' schools the applicant attended.
The ACC said that a number of applicants had submitted letters from councils. Some councils had, at the time, publicly announced they were issuing such documents.
The ACC's investigations into the allocation of flats revealed that some of the applicants who made it to the final list have not, in fact, lived fifteen years in Male' City. Some of these people have obtained documentation from councils and companies falsely providing proof of residence.
ACC said that it would be investigating such councils and companies for the issuance of false information. They made this statement in response to a public citizen's question submitted to the Parliament's Committee on Independent Institutions.
Dhaandhoo MP Yaugoob Abdulla asked of the commission what action would be taken against those who had issued false documentation.
ACC Vice President Abdul Salaam replied that it is an offence for institutions to provide false information. He said that if fraudulent documents have been issued by councils with the intention of facilitating a person to receive undue benefits or bribery, then that issue in itself warrants a separate investigation.
He further said that if it is deemed that ACC cannot conduct this investigation themselves, they would, in such a case, lodge the complaint with the police for further investigation.
While ACC's investigation revealed that 59.6 percent of the applications on the flat recipient list did not meet the required eligibility criteria, the government has, as of yet, not decided on what action will be taken in response to these findings.
The ACC, too, has stated that they have not reached a decision so far on whether or not to publicize the list and findings.
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