Former Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) CEO Mohammed Junaid has been charged with making illegal profits in connection with the purchase of air-conditioning units.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) said MPL procured 18 AC units in 2016 and 2017 in violation of procurement rules applicable to state-owned companies.

According to the ACC, the procurement was carried out without a public announcement or a decision by the company’s board of directors.

The commission said the contract was awarded to a business owned by a person with no experience in the field. The AC units were purchased for MVR1.084 million above the market price, it said.

Junaid, who was CEO at the time, and the then head of MPL’s procurement department, M. Hill in the Garden, Abdul Wahhab, were referred to the Prosecutor General’s Office by the ACC on Wednesday.

ACC has sought charges of abuse of official position for illegal gain and acting otherwise in a matter that should have benefited the state.