Parliament’s State Owned Enterprises (SOE) Committee has been asked to investigate the loss of MVR 3.7 million paid in advance by Maldive Gas to a Dubai-based company for a gas shipment that was never delivered.
The request was submitted to the committee by Maavah MP Ahmed Shakir, who said the unrecovered payment id a serious allegation against a government-owned company.
In a letter to parliament, Shakir said Maldive Gas had paid USD 246,645 in advance for a gas shipment worth USD 800,000 in October 2024, but the money has yet to be recovered. He called for a full investigation by the SOE Committee.
“The issue of USD 246,645 paid in advance for an USD 800,000 gas shipment ordered by Maldives Gas in October 2024 is a serious allegation against a state-owned company,” Shakir said, requesting both information on the incident and a comprehensive inquiry via the parliament committee.
Shakir’s letter also raised allegations against the then managing director of Maldive Gas, Abdulla Mohamed.
He claimed the former MD had made a social media post that was allegedly threatening towards MDP’s Vaikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad and Hulhumale' South MP Ahmed Shamheed, and asked for the matter to be investigated.
The issue of the missing advance payment first came to public attention in April last year, when vice-speaker of parliament and Dhiggaru MP Ahmed Nazim raised the matter at a meeting of the Public Finance Committee.
Nazim said at the time that a large advance payment had been “lost” and that efforts to recover the funds had been unsuccessful. The case was subsequently referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), whose investigation is ongoing.
In October 2024, Maldive Gas paid MVR 3.7 million, around 30 percent of the shipment value as an advance to Dubai-based Jaksha Energy.
Maldive Gas later said it was preparing to take legal action against the supplier after failing to recover the advance despite several rounds of discussions. However, it remains unclear whether any legal action has since been initiated.
