Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof took to social media to address the charges against him in relation to the MMPRC embezzlement case.
In the post published in his social media accounts, Ahmed Mahloof, who has been suspended from his role as Youth Minster pending a decision by the Prosecutor General on his case, said that the investigation is biased against him and he is being used as a scapegoat for the MMPRC corruption scandal by certain political people with the sole purpose of removing him from his post as Youth Minister.
He further stated that he does not wish to cling on to the post and denied the charges against him. He elaborated that the charges against him are in relation to SEZ (Special Economic Zone) Bill. Ahmed Mahloof said that he was a Parliament Member of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) at the time and that he voted in accordance with the three-line whip of the Party.
He also stressed that Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has no legal authority to investigate the case and said that the matter is clear from the Presidential Commission Act as well as the decree of the President to form Presidential Commission on Corruption and Asset Recovery.
According to Ahmed Mahloof, the evidence and statements against him were collected in violation of the Laws of Maldives and Sri Lanka and would not even be admissible in a court of law.
Ahmed Mahloof also called on to the authorities to investigate the case in accordance with the law and without discrimination He accused that certain names were removed from the list with undue influence and questioned the intention behind investigating him out of the 300 names on the MMPRC list. The list in question is the main list of persons of interest in the embezzlement.
He concluded the post by stating that he would step down from his post if the investigation is carried out fairly without discrimination and in accordance with the laws of the country and the policies formed by the Commission, Police, Prosecutor General Office and ACC. He stated that it is erroneous to assume that using him as a scapegoat would be the end of the scandal in the eyes of the public.
The Anti-Corruption Commission of Maldives requested the Prosecutor General Office to prosecute Youth Minister Ahmed Mahloof for his alleged involvement in the MMPRC embezzlement case stating that Ahmed Mahloof as a Member of the Parliament received $33,000.00 from the MMPRC embezzlement mastermind Ahmed Adeeb as a bribe to vote in favor of the “Special Economic Zone Bill”. It also stated that he had received the $33,00.00 from S.O.F company, which was used to funnel state funds by Ahmed Adeeb.