HDC fires 15 officials amid corruption probe

At least 15 officials were dismissed from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) on Sunday as authorities investigate allegations of corruption in the award of housing from Hulhumale’, including land and apartments.

Those dismissed include Abdulla Faid, the chief financial officer, and Ahmed Yameen, the chief business officer and head of media department.

Faid and Yameen, along with Ahmed Aiman, the deputy director of real estate, and Abdulla Shuhood, an IT consultant, had been suspended on Thursday – a day after documents leaked on social media appeared to show that multiple people were given land from Hulhumale’ under the ‘Binveriya’ scheme despite not being on the list of recipients released in 2023 during the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration.

The dismissals come a day after Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed stepped down as the corporation’s managing director.

The documents had listed his older brother Mohamed Fazeel Rasheed, the deputy managing director of Male’ Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC), as one of the people given land from Hulhumale’.

The leaked documents include a letter sent by HDC to the Housing Ministry dated July 24, seeking to verify the owner of Hulhumale’ lot number 20768 – after the corporation received applications from two different individuals – one of them Fazeel - who claimed to have received the plot under the ‘Binveriya’ scheme and asked for permission to build boundary walls around the property.

In response to the letter as well as other similar inquiries, the Housing Ministry wrote back on August 15 that the ‘Binveriya’ database does not show the individuals mentioned in HDC’s letters to have submitted applications under the scheme.

The Housing Ministry also said that Hulhumale’ lot number 20768 as well as another lot – 20821 – had not been awarded by the ministry to anyone. These two plots are claimed by a total of six people.

The final list of recipients of the ‘Binveriya’ scheme publicized in August 2023 lists Fazeel as an applicant, but also shows he was deemed ineligible as he had already been awarded housing under a different social housing scheme.

However, the leaked documents show Fazeel has a land registry for the plot, signed by Housing Ministry’s director general Ahmed Vishan Naseem and dated September 11, 2023.

The case is the subject of a criminal investigation by both the police and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Fazeel, as well as the entire board of HDC, except for chairman Ahmed Nasif, were placed under suspension on Thursday. The authorities have also imposed a travel ban on at least 24 officials, including Fazul and Fazeel.

In a press conference held on Thursday night – as angry protestors surrounded the HDC headquarters in Hulhumale’ – Fazul denied the allegations against HDC, insisting that the corporation has no involvement in issuing plots under the ‘Binveriya’ scheme.

He also played off the implication of his brother as a mere “coincidence”, and insisted that the situation does not pose a conflict of interest.

Fazul's resignation on Saturday night came mere hours after more documents leaked on social media appearing to show that multiple individuals were issued apartments from Vinares by the HDC based on forged payment slips to SeaLife Global after it was decided to compensate victims of the SeaLife scam with the apartments.

In his resignation later, Fazul maintained his innocence but said he decided to resign to “make for the investigation” into the case.

Former construction minister Mohamed Mauroof Jameel was named by the Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB) as his replacement on Sunday.

The corruption scandal comes amid mounting public frustration over the delay in handover of flats and land awarded under the two housing schemes.