Maldives' graft watchdog Tuesday vowed to chase down the evidence uncovered in the Al Jazeera expose as it finalises the report of the largest corruption scandal in the archipelago's history.
Created by the Emmy and BAFTA winning Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit, the documentary titled ‘Stealing Paradise’ contains leaked documents, text messages and recorded confessions that has blown the lid off corruption, thuggery and international money laundering in the island nation.
According to the Doha based broadcaster, the leak is the contents of three mobile phones which it says belonged to the now jailed former vice president and Jameel’s predecessor Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor.
The documentary accuses top government officials including incumbent president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom of orchestrating the theft of millions in state funds through the country's main tourism promotion company.
Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) president Hassan Luthfee said the commission was presently finalising the report after its investigation into the scandal.
But the investigative team is now looking into the allegations made in the Al Jazeera documentary, he revealed.
"If we have to look into more leads, we will not hesitate to do so. Our investigative team has been asked to pursue what kind information uncovered in the Al Jazeera documentary will be useful for our own investigation," Luthfee explained.
The official audit report had revealed that over USD79 million had been embezzled through the state tourism promotion company.
Maldives Media and PR Corporation (MMPRC) had mediated the leasing of over 59 different tourist hotels, resorts and yacht marinas out of which 53 had been leased through an agreement with the tourism ministry.
The funds received by MMPRC was distributed through a private company with strong links to Adheeb.
According to text messages and secretly filmed confessions included in the documentary, president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, through his former deputy had siphoned off millions in state funds, hijacked state institutions and bribed state officials including judges, lawyers and parliamentarians to exert his authoritarian power over the whole country.
Former aides of the now jailed ex-VP Adheeb had gone on record to say that they had personally delivered “bags of cash” to the president himself.
Mohamed ‘Moho’ Latheef who ran the front company through which nearly USD80 million was siphoned off told Al Jazeera that president Yameen was aware of the whole scheme.
Maldives government has denied the allegations, labeling the documentary as biased and in pursuance of an already declared agenda against the government.
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