Despite Home Minister Ali Ihusaan’s announcement that the investigation into the fire at the building accommodating the Housing, Planning, and Environment Ministries has concluded, no details have been released even after the promised deadline passed.
During a press conference at the President's Office on April 23, Ihusaan stated that the investigation into the fire, which occurred on December 12, 2024, was complete. He further committed to facilitating a police briefing to share the findings with the public by the end of the following week.
"I have been informed that the investigation into this matter has been concluded. I will try to hold a police briefing this coming week to provide an update to the media," Ihusaan told reporters.
However, the timeframe specified by the Minister has passed without any information being disclosed.
On December 17, 2024, police sought public assistance for the investigation into the fire that burnt down the three ministries. Subsequently, on December 20, 2024, authorities confirmed that a team of experts from India was providing technical assistance for the probe.
The Indian forensic team departed the Maldives on December 22, 2024, after conducting on-site work for two days. While the police confirmed their departure on December 27, no explanation was provided as to why the team’s mission concluded so quickly.
Efforts were previously made by the police to hold a press conference regarding the incident on June 24. However, the briefing was canceled at the last minute without a reason being cited.
The fire resulted in the total destruction of the offices of the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Construction, and the Ministry of Environment. Significant documents and several critical servers housed within the building were lost in the blaze.
While the services of the affected ministries were temporarily relocated to Dharubaaruge, the Ministry of Housing and the Ministry of Construction have since been merged.
