Portal to lodge social housing scheme info launched

The Maldives Police Service has launched a special portal to lodge information related to the ‘Binveriya’ and ‘Gedhoruveriya’ social housing schemes.

Police has urged the public to provide any useful information or evidence that would help the authority in its investigation into the recently surfaced allegations regarding the social housing schemes.

Information can be provided anonymously while those who are willing to provide cooperate in the investigation can leave their contract number as well. Police assured maintaining anonymity of the individuals who provide information.

Recently, documents were leaked that showed Housing Development Corporation (HDC) Managing Director Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed’s elder brother, Mohamed Fazeel Rasheed, the deputy managing director of Male’ Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) listed among those who received land plots in ‘Binveriya’ scheme. The list had others who received plots, but were not listed in the recipients list.

Leaked documents show Fazeel has a land registry for the plot, signed by the Housing Ministry’s Director General Ahmed Vishan Naseem dated September 11, 2023 while boundary walls on the plot have already been erected.

In a press conference last Thursday, Fazul denied the allegations and claimed HDC had not involvement in issuing plots under the social housing scheme. He also played off the implication of his brother as a mere ‘coincidence’.

Meanwhile, HDC faced fresh corruption allegations on Saturday, with leaked documents appearing to show that multiple individuals were issued apartments from Vinares based on fake payment slips to SeaLife Global after it was decided to compensate victims of the SeaLife scam with the apartments.

The Maldives Police Service and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) have already launched investigation into the matter.

While authorities have launched investigation into the case, Fazul on Saturday announced his resignation to cooperate in the investigation.