Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), on Thursday, confirmed the commencement of an investigation into the distribution of land plots in Gan, Laamu Atoll, including the controversial granting of a plot to Parliament Representative for Lhaviyani Atoll's Hinnavaru Constituency MP Jeehan Mahmood.
MP Jeehan was among 400 individuals that were to be awarded a 2,000 square foot land plot from the island as per a non-final list publicized by the island council last 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 criticism for receiving the full 10 points for the category, despite not being a resident of the island.
Amidst the controversy and allegations of having utilized undue influence to secure the plot against evaluation guidelines, Jeehan stated that she was unaware of how she was scored under the criteria and relinquished her land plot on Monday.
On Tuesday, the island council of Gan declared that MP Jeehan received the land plot through legitimate means, specifying that the scoring guideline stipulates that 10 points be awarded to individuals married to residents of the island or who have children registered at the island.
According to the officially published guidelines, non-natives of Gan are to be considered residents if they have lived on the island for over a year, were employed at the island for more than one year or have children enrolled in a school established on the island.
Jeehan's husband and the couple's two children are registered residents of Gan.
- Property: 25 points
- Marriage: 12 points
- Age (older than 31 years): 7 points
- Children: 12 points
- Residency at Gan: 10 points
- Higher Education: 5 points
Following a 12-year hiatus, the government opened applications for land plots from Gan, the largest island in the country, in August 2019.
Sign In