Case filed in Parliament over unlawful allocated of land in Addu

A case has been submitted to the Parliament's Decentralization Committee alleging that a large plot of land in Addu City Meedhoo was illegally allocated to a private party without a proper agreement.

The case submitted today to the Decentralization Committee by Abdu’Rahman, the independent Member of Parliament for the Addu Meedhoo constituency, it is alleged that a 17,000 square foot plot of land in the Addu Meedhoo Tourism Zone was awarded to a company named Sunville Private Limited without a public announcement.

Abdu’Rahman further alleged in his submission to the Committee that the land handed over to Sunville was a consolidation of three slots originally leased to three different companies, including two other companies whose shareholders have stakes in Sunville.

He claimed that after the City Council agreed to award a 17,000 sq ft plot to Sunville without public solicitation, the land actually handed over to the company was even larger.

"...Even if Plot Numbers C4, C5, and B1 were combined into a single slot and re-awarded to Sunville Private Limited, the total size should not exceed 17,000 square feet. However, when the land was surveyed and handed over to Sunville, a total area of 64,583 square feet or 6,000 square meters was given by the Addu City Council without any public announcement," Abdu’Rahman stated.

According to him, the three plots later consolidated and awarded as one were initially given to Sunville, a company named Rain Private Limited, and another company called Fehimo Hotels Private Limited.

"The shareholders of these three companies are essentially the same group of people. Even if some shareholders' wives are involved in some of the companies, these three companies’ share three main shareholders as their true owners," Abdu’Rahman said during the Decentralization Committee meeting.

He further alleged that one of the shareholders and the Managing Director of Sunville is a cousin of the Addu City Council's Secretary-General (SG), Imad Solih.

Abdu’Rahman stated that the three plots initially leased to the three companies were reclaimed because work was not carried out in accordance with the land lease agreement.

"Therefore, the City Council, by the SG improperly using his official position and in collaboration with Mayor Ali Nizar, has unlawfully given a large area in the Meedhoo Tourism Zone for a period of 50 years to a company with the SG's family interest, in a manner that facilitates corruption," he asserted.

Abdu’Rahman added that he has also filed the case with the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Local Government Authority. However, he stated that he does not expect a resolution from those bodies, which is why he submitted the matter to the Committee.