News

ACC denies viral list claimed to have been compiled following probe as theirs

Published

3 months ago

12/02/2024

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has denied that the list – viral on social media – claimed to have been compiled by the commission following their probe into applications of flat recipients deemed eligible under ‘Gedhoruveriya’ scheme was compiled by the commission.

A list comprising of applicants who have been deemed ineligible for the first 4,000 flats under the ‘Gedhoruveriya’ scheme which was claimed to have been compiled by ACC went viral on social media on Sunday.

As per ACC, information regarding a list they had compiled in light of their findings over the course of the investigation has only been shared with the Housing Ministry and the Parliament’s Committee on Independent Institutions so far.

The commission, underscoring important observations that had taken note of during the investigation had been shared during a press briefing held regarding the case, stressed that no further information regarding the case nor any related documents have been shared with any party by the commission nor any of its staff.

They described the circulation of misinformation on social media which would spark anger amongst the public in such a case that is directly linked to the interest of the people as a backward and irresponsible act.

“The information that needs to be disclosed to the public regarding cases under investigation by the commission will be shared through the commission’s official social media accounts and official statements issued to media outlets,” the statement read.

ACC cited their highest priority as upholding the law and protecting the interests of the public while providing complete assurance that their investigations will not be influenced to any extent by any party.

The publication of the list of the recipients of 4,000 flats developed by Fahi Dhiri Ulhun Corporation (FDC) in Hulhumale’ triggered protests from the public over the point allocation. A total of 325 complaints were submitted to ACC over the list, following which they launched a criminal investigation into the matter.

ACC had previously ordered the suspension of issuance of flats, but lifted the suspension on February 1, instructing the Housing Ministry to abide by certain rules while issuing the flats.

Housing Ministry, in a statement on Saturday, said ACC, following their investigation, sent a list of forms to the Ministry on Thursday, which have identified as eligible applicants with no further issues.

As per the statement, the list of forms has been formulated based on information obtained for investigation purposes. Therewith, the Ministry said they are working to declare the list of applicants eligible to receive flats under the ‘Gedhoruveriya’ scheme.

This had sparked concern from the public, fearing that the new administration would revoke the existing list of flat recipients.

Although ACC has greenlighted the issuance of the flats, in an earlier press briefing, they said 59.6 percent of the people who were listed as recipients of flats are ineligible to receive flats under ‘Gedhoruveriya’ scheme.

Housing Ministry states they will be moving forward with flat issuance in accordance with counsel provided by ACC and the Attorney General’s Office.

Source(s): sun.mv

News

Zareer appointed as new Commissioner General of Taxation

Published

1 hour ago

23/05/2024

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has appointed Hassan Zareer as the new Commissioner General of Taxation.

Zareer was presented with his letter of appointment in a ceremony held at the President’s Office on Thursday morning.

The appointment came shortly after the Bank of Maldives (BML) announced that Zareer had resigned from his post as the bank’s chairperson, in order to assume his new post.

The position of Commissioner General of Taxation fell vacant after Fathuhulla Jameel resigned from the post in February, to contest the parliamentary elections.

The President’s Office made an open call for interested candidates, and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu submitted the names of eligible candidates to the Parliament on March 13.

The names were ranked based on his preference, with former tax commissioner Yazeed Mohamed on top of the list, followed by Zareer, who had served as Yazeed’s deputy.

Both Yazeed and Zareer had lost their positions following a 2019 amendment to the Taxation Act.

But the Parliament’s Economic Committee, which vetted the candidates, approved Zareer for the post, instead of Yazeed.

Yazeed received four votes, while Zareer received 10 votes.

Zareer’s appointment was approved by the Parliament with the unanimous consensus of 45 members on May 13.

Zareer holds a Master of Science in Finance and a Bachelor of Accounting from International Islamic University, Malaysia. He is also a fellow member of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, United Kingdom and a certified member of Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA), Australia.

Zareer was appointed as the chairperson of BML’s board of directors in an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on March 25.

He replaced Yooshau Saeed, who had held the post of the bank’s chairperson since 2021.

Prior to his appointment to BML, Zareer served as the Director of Finance and Group Chief Compliance Officer at Villa Shipping and Trading Company Pvt Ltd. Before that, he was the Deputy Commissioner General of Taxation at the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority, a position he held from August 2010 to September 2019.

He also served in various capacities at the Finance Ministry, including Chief Public Accounts Executive and Operations Manager of the Public Finance Reform Project from March 2007 to August 2010. He also served as the Assistant Director (Head of Public Enterprises Monitoring and Evaluation Board) and Assistant Under Secretary at the Ministry of Finance from July 2006 to March 2007.

He has served on the boards of various public and private companies, including the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority, Maldives Tourism Development Corporation, Maldives Post Limited, State Electric Company Limited, Solarelle Insurance, and Maldives Entertainment Company Limited. He also served as the chairman of Maldives National Oil Company.

Source(s): sun.mv

World

Palestinians welcome European nations’ state recognition

Published

16 hours ago

22/05/2024

The Palestinian presidency on Wednesday welcomed the recognition of a Palestinian state by Spain, Norway and Ireland.

In a statement carried by Palestine news agency WAFA, the Palestinian presidency highly appreciated the contribution of this decision by Spain, Norway and Ireland in “consecrating the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination on their land and in taking actual steps to support the implementation of the two-state solution.”

“The right of peoples to self-determination is an established right recognized under international law,” said the statement, calling on countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to stand up to their responsibilities and acknowledge the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

Before the announcement, eight European Union member states recognized the State of Palestine, including Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Cyprus, and Sweden.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hussein Al-Sheikh considered the step a “historic moment.”

Expressing gratitude to countries that have recognized and will recognize the independent State of Palestine, Al-Sheikh stressed that this is the path to stability, security, and peace in the region.

The Palestinians demand the establishment of an independent state alongside Israel with pre-1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital.

Source(s): CGTN

News

Government halts permits for Bangladeshi workers over invalid documents

Published

17 hours ago

22/05/2024

Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology has stopped issuing permits to bring in untrained Bangladeshi labourers after some companies submitted invalid documents.

Homeland ministry stated that the quota for untrained Bangladeshi workers has been suspended for a month now. It said that the quota was stopped after some companies were found to be bringing individuals with invalid documents. They also said that they were investigating the matter and would resume issuing quotas after the investigation. However, the ministry did not disclose further details.

The previous government stopped allowing untrained workers from Bangladesh in 2019. An amendment to the law set a maximum of 100,000 people from a single country to work as labourers in the Maldives in 2020. Since then, no further permits have been issued on the grounds that there are more than 100,000 Bangladeshi workers.

The government has confirmed the net number of Bangladeshi workers living both legally and illegally. Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan said there were a total of 90,624 Bangladeshi workers in the Maldives. In response to a question in Parliament in March, he said about 4,000 Bangladeshi workers had entered the country since the permits were issued.

Source(s): PsmNews