A joint investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has revealed that MVR 11 million had entered the account of one of the accused in the Road Development Corporation (RDC) scam during the previous government, the police said today.
At a press conference, the Economic Crime Department of the police stated that the case was filed in September 2022, and since then, the technical work of the case had been ongoing. The department said that many government employees were alleged to be involved in the RDC corruption. However, the involvement of three individuals has been confirmed, they said.
Head of the Economic Crime Department, Superintendent of Police Abdulla Rasheed, said MVR 14 million had been circulated to the three individuals' personal accounts. One of them had received MVR 11 million, while the other two had received MVR 1 million each, he said.
The funds involved in the case had been in circulation from 2018 to September 2022.
He further said that the investigation into the case had revealed that state funds had been used in violation of basic standards. Instead of depositing the money to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA), the money has been transferred from one account to another, Rasheed said.
He said that it was suspected that the money was spent on personal purposes, and 216 transactions were carried out to circulate the money.
During the press conference, the Head of Crime Investigation Command, Police Superintendent Ahmed Nafiz, said that the matter of the funds transferred from the accounts of RDC employees accused in the case to senior officials with involvement in the then government is also under investigation.
"...This MVR 11 million has been distributed to the companies mentioned previously and also to various individuals outside the company. It has entered the accounts of various people," he said, mentioning that details of these individuals could not be revealed at this moment.
However, Nafiz said MVR 392,000 was transferred to the account of another company affiliated with RDC. He also said that MVR 162,000 of funds had entered the account of an individual associated with the company.
Senior Investigation Officer Ali Adam, on behalf of ACC, said the investigation was launched after a complaint was filed by a government agency alleging corruption by RDC employees.
The money has been circulated in various accounts for personal gain. The case is being investigated in collaboration with the police, he said.
It has been revealed that the money was circulated in various accounts for personal gain, and since the case involved money laundering, it is being investigated in coordination with the police, he said.