Office of the President-elect has requested the government to halt the handover of flats in Hulhumale' during the transition process.
At a press conference, Spokesperson Mohamed Firuzul noted that the public have expressed concern over how the list of recipients of the 4,000 flats in Hulhumale' was formulated. Firuzul said that the President-elect's Office has received complaints alleging that corruption was involved. He, therefore, said that the new administration will investigate claims of corruption, as it considers housing the most important issue, and will provide the flats to the eligible applicants. He also said that it would be more prudent for the current government to hand over the flat distribution process to the new administration instead of rushing the process. He added that the new administration will also investigate the provision of Vinares flats for corruption.
Regarding the issue, the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure stated that it did not give any opportunity for any party to gain political advantage in the government housing project. The ministry stated that the project is being managed by civil services employees and not by politicians, as was the policy of previous governments.
At a press conference, Senior Executive Director of the Planning Ministry Mohamed Arif said the government's housing policy was implemented with the direct participation of the people. He detailed that the policy was formulated by the ministry with the collaboration of the Male' City Council and the construction industry, adding that it was opened for public comment. He said that the system for awarding points to applicants were also developed with such feedback.
Additionally, Arif responded to complaints that applicants were not given more points based on how long they have lived in Male' by saying that it was not considered an important factor in the points system. He said that the points are given to applicants who have lived in Male' for 15 years, and they do not receive additional points based on how much longer they have lived in Male'.
Furthermore, Arif said that the ministry has received 2,000 complaints for the three-bedroom flat category and 900 complaints for the two-bedroom flat category. He also said that there is no cut-off point in the project and that the recipients were determined in the order of the highest marks, including the flats reserved for Customs employees. He further said that the application of any individual who received a flat unfairly will be cancelled. He also expressed belief that there will come a time when politicians will praise the way the housing project was carried out.
Also at the press conference, Minister of State Akram Kamaluddeen assured there are no issues in the housing project and that the government is fully cooperation with the investigation of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).