The Local Government Authority (LGA) has confirmed the suspension of all five councillors of Dhuvaafaru Island Council over the corruption scandal. The council has now been handed over to the Secretary-General of the council.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) which investigated the case found that a large number of money transactions have been conducted in violation of the rules by 12 members of the council. ACC has sent the monitoring report of the Dhuvaafaru Island Council to the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) for consultation with the duty prosecution and relevant authorities. PGO revealed details of the case will be publicised.
In July, LGA requested investigative authorities to take action against the Dhuvaafaru Island Council over corruption related to its handling of administrative and financial tasks. LGA received complaints related to the council and a team was sent to Dhuvaafaru to monitor the situation. The authority stated that a report was formulated based on the team’s findings and has since been approved and made available on the official LGA website.
The report published by LGA shows multiple incidents of Dhuvaafaru council mismanaging its finances, including corruption related to the handling of its Zakat payments, handing over projects without bids in order to benefit the council employees, and conducting business dealings without filing the necessary documentation. As such, the council was found to have transferred funds to the council director, the council president, and its members, as well as the island’s women’s development committee (WDC) and contract employees without clear indications as to the purpose of the transfer. LGA has found that the council has transferred thousands of US dollars in total.