The government is attempting to intimidate the opposition to obscure corruption in the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) and Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has alleged.
The MDP made this claim in a statement regarding the police raid on the residence of former Road Development Corporation (RDC) Managing Director Moosa Ali Manik (Mookey) on Thursday night.
After more than a year of investigating the transfer of money from an RDC account to several public accounts, police raided Mookey's apartment and and properties belonging to his ex-wife and former RDC CFO Yasir Hassan. Electronics were confiscated from these locations.
The MDP stated that the police entered Mookey's residence while he was asleep with his family, describing the raid as an act of intimidation and harassment.
The MDP said that this was a demonstration that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration was not upholding human rights and democratic principles.
The party accused the government of undertaking baseless acts of retaliation to defame MDP members and leaders, as well as other opposition parties.
The statement highlighted government actions, including producing party leadership and members before the police, and initiating prosecutions and investigations against them. Among these actions was the parliament’s request for the Prosecutor General to conduct a criminal investigation into former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and MDP Chairman Fayyaz Ismail.
While the MDP has always maintained that individuals accused of corruption should be investigated, it questioned the credibility of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) following amendments granting the president the authority to appoint its heads, the party said.
According to the MDP, the government’s focus should be on investigating corruption cases within the NSPA and HDC. However, it alleged that the police and ACC are cooperating to obscure these cases.
The statement further noted that searches of MDP members' homes and expedited cases against the opposition began after criticism of Dr. Muizzu and the government intensified over the HDC and NSPA issues.
The President has faced scrutiny for renting an office building for the NSPA at a high price from the company operating MMTV, which promotes him. President Muizzu has denied knowledge of the matter.
On July 1, five months before the police initiated an investigation following public outcry on social media, former HDC Chairman Ahmed Zuhoor sent a letter to President Muizzu outlining several concerns. Although President Muizzu claimed he did not receive the letter, it was registered at the President’s Office.
The HDC scandal surfaced when it was revealed that a plot from the Binveriyaa scheme had been allocated to Mohamed Fazeel Rashid, the brother of HDC Managing Director Ibrahim Fazul Rashid. The HDC had also permitted Fazeel to construct a boundary wall on the land.
Adhadhu has learned that land plots were allocated to individuals not listed under the Binveriyaa scheme. However, the police have not clarified whether they are investigating this issue.
