Senior officials from the Department of National Registration (DNR) have fled after lying to journalists who were invited to the DNR office for a briefing in connection with the ruling party's membership fraud.
DNR officials today admitted that the fake membership forms using stolen personal data were filled at the DNR office. They said the leaked photos show the meeting room of the DNR office.
Deputy Home Minister and DNR Chief Ahmed Aaly was also seen in the photos. But Aaly today told reporters that he went there only to eat pizza. However, Aaly was seen in photos that show the alleged fake forms.
"I'll be in the photo with the pizza. There won't be any more photos," he insisted.
Aaly wearing a black tie in the room where thre fake forms were filled. -- Photo: social media
When journalists began pressing more, Aaly and State Minister Abdul Majeed Ibrahim entered the office and secretly left through a backdoor. They fled along with the wireless microphones attached to their shirts.
The two men did not come back to speak with the reporters. Another DRN employee later told reporters that they would no longer be speaking to them.
There is public concern over the ruling People's National Congress (PNC)'s campaign to increase members through fake forms using stolen personal data, altered photos and forged signatures and fingerprints.
Several cases have been reported to the police, but they did not say whether an investigation was ongoing.
Some senior PNC officials told Adhadhu that the number of fake forms could be thousands and that it was "extremely shameful."
The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has now submitted a no-confidence motion against Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusaan because he was also seen in the leaked photos where the fake membership forms were being filled.
