The island council of Gan, Laamu Atoll, on Tuesday, declared that Parliament Representative for Lhaviyani Atoll's Hinnavaru Constituency MP Jeehan Mahmood received a plot of land from the island through legitimate means.
MP Jeehan was one among 400 individuals that were to be awarded a 2000 square feet of land plot from the island as per a non-final list publicized by the island council on Friday. She had made it to the list after receiving 71 points, 10 of which were exclusively awarded to individuals residing in the island.
The lawmaker had attracted harsh criticisms for receiving the full 10 points for the category, despite not being a resident of the island.
According to a statement issued by the island council, Jeehan was awarded the points in compliance with the scoring guidelines set forth by the evaluation committee. The statement further clarified that as per scoring guideline, 10 points were to be awarded to individuals that are married to residents of the island or have children that are registered to the island.
Jeehan is linked to Gan through her husband, who is a resident of the island. The couple’s two children are also registered residents of the island.
However, amidst the controversy and allegations of having utilized undue influence to secure the plot against evaluation guidelines, Jeehan relinquished her land plot on Monday.
MP Jeehan said that she was unaware of how she was scored under the criteria and had requested the island council on Monday to clarify how points were awarded.
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