Anti-Corruption Commission of the Maldives (ACC) has stated that it is investigating 896 cases related to state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The statement was made by ACC while disclosing information in the cases currently under investigation, with the members of the Committee on State Owned Enterprises of the Parliament.
During the meeting, President of the ACC Adam Shamil revealed that investigations are carried out under two phases. As such, when a case is initially submitted to the commission, a preliminary investigation is conducted. In this stage, the ACC obtains written evidence and documents related to the case, evaluates it and then decides if further investigation is required. If the case revolves around issues of corruption, it is further examined.
Highlighting that several cases of SOEs fall under both categories, President Shamil stated that efforts are underway by the commission to investigate a total of 896 cases. ACC raised concerns over the increasing number of SOE cases, particularly during the last five years. Shamil additionally noted that since the commission assumed office in 2022, two major elections; the presidential and the parliamentary elections, were held, stressing that the number of cases increased during the presidential election period.
While the ACC is working on resolving the cases of SOEs, the ACC revealed that it has collected a total of USD1,537 from firms, in accordance with the orders issued.