Sports Minister Ahmed Mahloof has been charged with accepting a bribe. 
Prosecutor General’s Office spokesperson, Public Prosecutor Ahmed Shafeeu confirmed to Sun on Thursday that Mahloof was charged based on the findings of an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) into the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) graft scandal. 
ACC found that in 2014, then-parliamentarian Mahloof received USD 33,000 in funds stolen from MMPRC as a bribe from then-Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor to remain a member of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and vote for the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Bill. 
ACC found that on September 1, 2014, a USD 33,000 cheque was deposited to Mahloof’s bank account by SOF Private Limited – the company accused of laundering the stolen funds, and said that though Mahloof submitted a ‘Payment Received’ slip in the name of SOF as evidence it had been a legitimate business transaction to procure US dollars, the commission had witnesses and other evidence to prove otherwise.   
Mahloof was charged with accepting a bribe under Article 3 (b) of the Anti-Corruption Act, with reference to Article 3 (a). 
To be updated....