Police have asked the Prosecutor General’s Office to press charges against the mayor of Gaafu Dhaalu Thinadhoo, Saud Ali, over alleged misrepresentation of the island’s population to obtain city status.

Saud was previously summoned by police over allegations that the Thinadhoo island council misrepresented the island’s population in its application for city status.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) also searched the Thinadhoo council offices and seized documents in connection with the case. Saud has previously denied the allegations.

A senior official at the Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed that police had sent the case to the office for criminal prosecution and that it is currently being reviewed.

It is unclear whether anyone else has been referred for prosecution in the case.

Thinadhoo was granted city status through a resolution issued by then-president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih as the 2023 presidential election approached.

Under the Decentralization Act, an island must have a population of at least 10,000 to qualify for city status. However, allegations were made that Thinadhoo’s population was about 8,000 at the time, prompting complaints over the decision.