Former President Solih denies involvement in Fenaka corruption scandal

Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (Ibu) has said that he has not done anything unaccountable while in power and denied any involvement in financial dealings with Fenaka Corporation.

The Auditor General's Office (AGO) on Thursday night released a report on corruption cases within the utility company from 2021 to 2023. These include the awarding of projects worth billions without bidding, and awarding works at overvalued prices.

Former Fenaka Managing Director Ahmed Saeed began serving a four-year jail sentence on Tuesday after being convicted of corruption.

Former President Solih was asked today on Rajje TV's "Fashaairu" program whether he had received any financial benefits from Fenaka.

Responding to the question, he said that during his administration, and even before that, he had not taken a single penny of state money, nor had he gained anything from it.

"First of all, I have never done anything in power that I cannot be held accountable for. I will, hopefully, be held accountable for everything I have done and every step I have taken." Said former president Solih. "So, I haven't received any kind of benefit, profit, or money from what you're saying about Fenaka."

Noting that the Fenaka report was issued suddenly in the middle of the night, he described it as a political report.

Some of the Fenaka-related cases were already being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during his presidency, and many of them were filed back then, he said. He noted that some of the issues raised were even addressed and corrected during that time.

He also claimed that the four-year jail sentence handed down to Ahmed Saeed was politically motivated and targeted at a specific individual. As evidence, he pointed out that the case against Mohamed Nimal, who was the Managing Director of Fenaka during former President Abdulla Yameen's administration, was sent to court in 2022 but has not yet been tried.

The audit of Fenaka revealed serious cases of fraud within the company.

These include: