Subscription Form

Thinadhoo City Mayor Saud - Photo: Thinadhoo City Council

MALÉ: The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has requested the Prosecutor General’s Office to press criminal charges against Thinadhoo Mayor Saud Ali and three former island councilors over corruption allegations linked to land allocation.

According to a document released by the commission, the case centers on the previous term of the Thinadhoo Island Council. The commission found that the council leased plots of land to a private company for cooking gas sales without holding a public bidding process. Regulations governing land use for non-residential purposes strictly prohibit the allocation of land for commercial or industrial activities without open competitive bidding.

The ACC stated that the councilors signed an illegal agreement without issuing a public announcement and subsequently granted two additional plots to the same company, handing over a total of three 2,000-square-foot land plots. The commission has formally requested charges against the four former councilors for abusing official authority to confer an undue advantage.

Mayor Saud Ali already faces two separate criminal charges in court regarding allegations of submitting falsified population data to state authorities to secure city status for Thinadhoo.

• Primary Accused Mayor: Saud Ali (Former Thinadhoo Island Council President, current Thinadhoo Mayor).

• Accused Former Councilors: Aiminath Naseema, Ahmeema Ahmed, and Aishath Liusha Zubair.

• Leased Land Size: Three plots of 2,000 square feet each, totaling 6,000 square feet.

• Core Investigation Issue: Lease of council land for a commercial cooking gas business without public bidding.

• Legal Violation: Breach of regulations governing land allocation for non-residential purposes.

• Investigating Authority: Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).