Money is being solicited from individuals with promises of guaranteed flat allocations in the new Gedhoruveriya flat list, it has been revealed.
This is reportedly also being committed by those involved in the sale of land plots and Vinares flats in Hulhumalé.
A source familiar with the matter told Adhadhu that a new list of 4,000 beneficiaries for the already completed Gedhoruveriya flats and those still under construction will soon be announced.
"The only condition for inclusion in the list is that the person has applied for a flat through the Gedhoruveriya portal. The first payment required is MVR 35,000 to secure the flat," the source said.
More than 20,697 applications have been submitted for the three-bedroom flats being built in Hulhumalé Phase II. The previous government had gazetted the list of the first 4,000 flat recipients, but the flats have not been handed over for over a year, citing issues with the list.
Velidhoo MP Mohamed Abbas stated on X that 4,000 flats under the Gedhoruveriya scheme are being sold.
"Of the 4,000 flats that the previous government decided to allocate, many people paid MVR 20,000 the advance of a total rate of MVR 50,000, with the remaining MVR 30,000 to be paid when the flat list is issued," he said.
Abbas also claimed that PNC MPs have repeatedly informed authorities about this issue, but their concerns have been ignored.
Housing Minister Dr. Ali Haidar Ahmed had previously announced that the list of 4,000 flat recipients would be published and the flats handed over before the end of this year. However, this has now been postponed indefinitely.
Additionally, over 100 unsold flats under the Vinares housing scheme in Hulhumalé Phase II have reportedly been sold through backdoor deals, involving bribes and allocations to politically connected individuals, without being opened to public bidding.
