Saeed pleads not guilty of alleged ice plant corruption

Ahmed Saeed Mohamed, the former Managing Director of FENAKA, has pleaded not guilty to the charge filed against him concerning the alleged corruption in FENAKA's purchase of an ice plant established by Kaizaan Investment in L. Maamendhoo.

Saeed, who is currently serving a jail sentence after being convicted of misappropriation (embezzlement), is facing a charge of misuse of official authority in the ice plant case. If convicted, this charge carries a jail sentence of one year, seven months, and six days.

In the preliminary hearing held at the Criminal Court on Thursday regarding this charge, prosecution formally read the indictment to Saeed, and he pleaded not guilty. Following his denial of the charge, the prosecution disclosed the evidence it intends to present to prove the charge.

The prosecution requested a protective order for evidence in an ice plant case, but the judge ruled that the information must be shared with the defense, subject to certain conditions. The next hearing will involve the presentation of defense witnesses by Saeed's legal team.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigated the case and sent a request to prosecute Saeed to the Prosecutor General's Office.

The PG stated that Saeed signed an agreement with FENAKA and the Fisheries Ministry, but instead of constructing an ice plant, he purchased an existing ice plant on the island for MVR 11.3 million. The PG further noted that this action was taken without the opinion of the Tender Evaluation Committee.

Additionally, FENAKA's business plan indicated that the ice plant was not a financially viable project. The PG stated that Saeed participated in and consulted on the decision to purchase the ice plant during a General Meeting of FENAKA's Board of Directors on September 7, 2023.

According to the PG, Saeed failed to clearly inform the meeting that FENAKA was already working on constructing an in-house ice plant in Maamendhoo and dismissed that discussion. On the same date, he signed the agreement for the purchase of the ice plant between FENAKA and Kaizaan Investment. PG asserted that the agreement was created and signed to facilitate the payment of MVR 11.3 million to Kaizaan Investment, making it an obligated payment for FENAKA.

Saeed is currently serving a four-year jail sentence in connection with a case where, under an agreement between FENAKA and Blazon Inc. in 2019, he released payment to Blazon Inc. for work before it was completed or verified.