President’s Office, on Wednesday, suspended Male' Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC)'s Chairman Ahmed Mausoom, regarding the MVR 6.1 million transactions carried out between SOF Pvt Lts and two companies of which Mausoom is a shareholder.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s spokesperson Ibrahim Hoodh revealed that Mausoom, the former Vice Chair of Maldivian Democratic Party, was amongst those who were suspended until the relevant authorities concluded the investigations of Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) report on the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) embezzlement case.
ACC’s investigative report on MMPRC’s MVR 1.3 billion embezzlement case disclosed that the stolen funds were siphoned to private company SOF Pvt Ltd. The report revealed the list of individuals and companies that had state funds wired to them through SOF accounts.
According to the corruption watchdog’s report, SOF transferred embezzled state funds to CTG and MC Maldives Pvt Ltd. Mausoom is a shareholder of both of these companies.
In addition to Mausoom, other shareholders in CTG include Abdulla Raafiu, Umar Jamal and Ahmed Zahir.
ACC’s report revealed that a total of USD 5.7 million (MVR 88.5 million) were transferred to CTG.
Raafiu is the uncle of Fathimath Liusha, the wife of former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb. The report disclosed that, apart from the funds transferred to CGT’s accounts, SOF also transferred USD 1.6 million (MVR 25 million) to Raafiu’s personal account at Bank of Ceylon (BOC).
Transactions carried out with the USD 1.6 million:
- USD 1.6 million withdrawn as cash
- USD 800,000 transferred to CTG
- USD 150,000 transferred to accounts of Mediquip Maldives Pvt Ltd
- USD 100,000 transferred to AIMA Construction
- MVR 10 million transferred to a Maldivian Rufiyaa account in BOC under Raafiu’s name
Businesses carried out by CTG include Root which sells cigarettes and tobacco products, Café Alfresco, CTG Counter and CTG Addu.
ACC’s report stated that CTG’s expenditure in 2014 was MVR 500 million, and the greatest revenue was generated from their cigarette business. Additionally, ACC’s report revealed that a large sum of money was sent abroad for cigarette purchases.
Moreover, ACC confirmed that neither CTG Pvt Ltd nor Rifaau had returned any money to SOF, out of the MVR 88.5 million from MMPRC’s embezzled funds.
Mausoom, who held the position of Chief of Staff in former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration, also has shares in MC Maldives Pvt Ltd. Other shareholders of this company include Raafiu and Mohamed Hameed. Businesses carried out by MC Maldives are MC Wear shop and MC Maldives Bonded Warehouse.
According to ACC’s report, USD 328,052 out of MMPRC’s embezzled funds were transferred to MC Maldives. The report further revealed that the money was then transferred to UK based company Omnia Strategy LLC on the same day.
Omnia Strategy, which is owned by England’s former Prime Minister Tony Blaire’s wife Cherie Blaire, assisted in a process of review and reform of existing democratic and legal institutions in former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration. ACC noted that the company took part in press conferences held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a statement Raafiu gave to Anti-Corruption Commission, he stated that MC Maldives transferred funds to Omnia upon request by SOF’s shareholder Mohamed Abdul Allam Latheef (Moho). Raafiu further explained that he did not question the reason for the transaction and he only discovered that the money was transferred to a law firm in UK over the radio.
Additionally, Raafiu mentioned that he reported the case to Maldives Police Service when the government issued a statement disclosing that the funds were transferred to Omnia Strategy by Maldives Foreign Affairs. Raafiu also affirmed to ACC’s investigation that he gave a statement to the Police regarding the case.
Various top officials of the government, including Mausoom, were suspended regarding SOF transactions. Some of them are Minister of Youth and Sports Ahmed Mahloof, State Minister of Planning Akram Kamaludeen and board member of Island Aviation Abdulla Azim.
The list of people SOF transferred embezzled state funds to also include various prominent businessmen and parliament members.
Sign In