ACC sends case involving MPL CEO Mohamed Rishwan for duty prosecution

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has forwarded a case involving former Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) Deputy CEO and current Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) CEO Mohamed Rishwan for duty prosecution over alleged corruption during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Prosecutor General’s Office (PG) confirmed that the case has been sent to the Duty Prosecutor’s Office, a preliminary stage before the PGO formally decides whether to prosecute. However, the specific charges against Rishwan have not yet been disclosed.

Duty prosecution is a procedural step carried out before an investigation is fully completed and a case is officially submitted for prosecution.

Rishwan, who currently serves as CEO of MPL, previously held the position of Deputy Commissioner of Police before resigning in 2011.

Earlier, the ACC had charged former IGMH CEO Ibrahim Saleem (Kuda Bandhey) and Dr Ali Abdulla Latheef in connection with the procurement of laboratory reagents during the pandemic. The commission alleged that the reagents were procured from a company in which Dr Latheef had an interest.

Dr Latheef served as chair of the Procurement Committee, Medical Executive Committee, and Technical Advisory Committee at the time.

Separately, Pioneer Maldives and Island Health Solutions, companies that provided PCR testing services in Maldives, have also been charged with intentional tax evasion. Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has forwarded the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office to prosecute the companies’ director, Dr Latheef.