The Criminal Court today sentenced the former managing director of Fenaka to four years in jail after he was convicted of abuse of official position in connection with the signing of a settlement agreement with a company called Blazon Inc.
Ahmed Saeed was sentenced to four years in prison, longer than the one year and seven months requested by the Prosecutor General's (PG) Office. The defense lawyers had asked for a reduction in the sentence as Saeed has no criminal record.
The judge said the punishment would send a message to those who commit corruption as such cases are continuing to increase in the Maldives.
The agreement in question was signed by the former management of Fenaka on January 30, 2018, before Saeed took over. The agreement was signed to pay Blazon MVR 1.3 million for Fenaka's public relations.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) said Saeed had signed a settlement agreement with Blazon after taking over as the managing director of Fenaka and paid MVR 848,000 in compensation. The agreement was signed on April 25, 2019.
Saeed said a settlement agreement was signed with Blazon to save Fenaka from a huge loss if the matter was taken to court after cancelling the public relations agreement.
The judge, however, said it was unclear whether Blazon was performing any work as agreed and that there was no documentation or other evidence showing Blazon performing work.
Saeed is also accused of other cases. Some of the cases have been sent for prosecution while others are under investigation. The Auditor General's Office has recommended an investigation into the procurement audit of Fenaka.
