Forged Documents in Binveriyaa Land Allocation Scandal Issued Under Previous Administration: Police

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has revealed that its investigations had found that the documents related to the disputed Binveriyaa Scheme were submitted to the Housing Development Corporation Limited (HDC) by individuals who had not applied for land under the scheme.

At a press conference held Thursday, Head of Central Investigation Command, Assistant Commissioner of Police Abdulla Shareef said these individuals had attempted to use forged documents to obtain land from the scheme unlawfully. He noted that the investigation identified attempts to obtain three plots using falsified documents.

ACP Shareef said multiple individuals had applied for the same plots, which prompted the HDC to seek verification from the Ministry of Housing, Land and Urban Development on the validity of the documents. The Housing Ministry confirmed to HDC that the documents were submitted by individuals who were not listed as land recipients under the scheme.

“Our investigation so far involves actively questioning those implicated. Questioning revealed that applicants who did not meet the eligibility criteria for the scheme attempted to meet with the Housing Ministry officials, as they were unable to accept their ineligibility,” Shareef said.

ACP Shareef further revealed that the disputed documents were issued during the tenure of the former government.

“So far, based on information provided by those questioned and our investigation, we have identified that these documents were obtained during the former administration,” he detailed.

On Wednesday, HDC came under heavy scrutiny after it emerged that land plots had been issued to non-recipients under the Binveriyaa Scheme. In response, the entire HDC board, with the exception of its Chairperson, were suspended, along with the corporation’s Managing Director Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed.

The allegations around Fazul are particularly controversial as his brother, MWSC’s Deputy Managing Director Fazeel Ibrahim is directly implicated in the controversy. Fazeel has likewise been suspended from his position pending the outcome of the investigation.

The police affirmed that they are working to identify whether any state agencies had been negligent in handling the matter. The police are also investigating if there was any abuse of positional authority involved.