As the Maldives gears up for parliamentary elections, allegations of corruption against President Mohamed Muizzu have stirred controversy. Opposition parties are calling for a thorough investigation and the impeachment of President Muizzu following the leak of a report detailing alleged corruption dating back to 2018, a charge vehemently denied by the President.
With the parliamentary polls scheduled for Sunday, tensions have escalated between the main Opposition party, the Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP, and Muizzu’s People’s National Congress or PNC, casting a shadow over the electoral atmosphere.
The political turmoil was ignited by the surfacing of leaked intelligence reports on Monday, attributed to an anonymous source ‘Hassan Kurusee’, circulating on social media platforms. These reports, purportedly originating from the Financial Intelligence Unit or FIU of the Maldives Monetary Authority and the Maldives Police Service, allegedly implicate President Muizzu in corrupt practices, eliciting a wave of public scrutiny and demands for accountability.
“These reports, dated 2018, claim irregularities in money transfers to President Muizzu’s personal bank account, highlighting 10 critical red flag indicators of financial misconduct. These indicators suggest involvement with politically exposed persons, embezzlement, structured transactions, and the use of corporate entities to hide fund origins,” news portal Maldives Republic (mvrepublic.com) reported.
The accusation soon stirred a political storm with multiple reactions pouring in on numerous social media channels. News portals and newspapers, however, tread with caution. The Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party and People’s National Front or PNF demanded probe.
Former Vice President and Progressive Party of Maldives’s senior member Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed urged Muizzu’s impeachment following the leaked intelligence reports. Taking to his social media handle X, Jameel reposted these documents, emphasising the need for accountability at all levels of governance.
Besides, Jameel blamed President Muizzu of “being extravagant on public relations and involved on extensive corruption in his flagship Ras Male’ development project. Jameel has called on President Muizzu to cooperate with independent investigations into these allegations,” stated mvrepublic.com.
In response directed at Opposition, Adhadhu.com quoted President Muizzu, “While you attempt to pin something on me like this, you couldn’t do it before and you can’t do it now. There’s nothing you can show against me no matter how far you take this.”
Accusing the Opposition of leaking the reports out of desperation, Muizzu mentioned, “The same allegations had been made during his campaigns for mayor and President,” and the response would be the same as before.
“The President’s remarks came after the Opposition MDP and PNF called on the relevant authorities to investigate the serious allegations against the President. But no government investigative agency has yet to comment on the issue,” reported Adhadhu.com.
A total of 368 candidates are contesting for 93 seats in this year’s parliamentary elections on April 21. The outcome of the elections will determine whether the Opposition parties can act against President Muizzu, who assumed charge in November last year.
