Ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s parliamentary group leader Ahmed Nihan declared Thursday that he had purchased a flat costing MVR 4.7 million in reclaimed suburb Hulhumale for his son with lawful money.
The issue of Nihan purchasing a flat from the high-end real estate development, Platinum Residence, under the name of his son, Mohamed Allan Ahmed, surfaced after the Civil Court timetabled a case regarding the transaction. Subsequently members of the joint opposition have taken to social media, calling to clarify how the Villimale MP had bought the flat.
Speaking to Mihaaru, Nihan explained that he had amassed MVR 8.5 million from his monthly salary of MVR 79,000 working as a lawmaker for nine years. He elaborated that he had also taken housing loans totaling MVR 5.2 million from the Bank of Maldives Ltd (BML) and another undisclosed bank, and that he is repaying the amount dutifully.
“So is there any reason why I shouldn’t be able to buy the flat?” he asked rhetorically.
Stating that he had long planned to buy a flat for his son when Allan came of age in order to secure him a source of income, Nihan went on to point out that there were no regulations barring members of parliament from purchasing or selling flats. He called on the relevant authorities to inspect and investigate the transaction should anyone deem graft had been involved.
Nihan also revealed that he was planning to secure an additional bank loan to purchase another flat in the future.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission is probing a similar case, where PPM’s deputy leader and Fonadhoo MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla and his wife had purchased two flats costing total MVR 9 million from the Rehendhi-6 complex in capital Male.
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