Former Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer has been summoned to appear before the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), becoming the second senior official from the previous administration to face questioning over compensation payments made to private companies.
The summons follows that of former Economic Minister and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairman Fayyaz Ismail, who announced on Thursday that he had been called to the ACC over a 2019 compensation decision involving Swift Engineering Pvt Ltd, a company linked to People’s National Congress (PNC) MP Saudhullah Hilmy.
Fayyaz is scheduled to appear at 09:30 am on Monday, while Ameer said in a post on X that he has been summoned for 14:30 on Tuesday. He did not disclose details of the case but defended his record, stating that he served as finance minister from 2019 to 2023 “with integrity and honesty.”
“Everything in the ministry was decided and advised to protect the state from major financial loss. I have that confidence in my soul,” Ameer wrote. He also called on ACC leadership to “stop framing people unfairly in defense of their jobs,” alleging that the summons was intended to intimidate him over baseless claims.
“We will bow our heads only to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds,” he added, describing President Dr Mohamed Muizzu as an autocrat and stating that he would not bend to him.
The ACC alleges that Fayyaz abused his position on the Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee to award inadequate compensation to Swift Engineering, causing financial harm to the state. In response, Saudhullah defended the settlement, stating that Swift was removed from six projects under former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration and that the company was later offered replacement projects instead of monetary compensation.
According to Saudhullah, the arrangement favored the state, which avoided a potentially costly payout. The Finance Ministry has confirmed that the previous administration paid over MVR 1.6 billion in compensation to various companies.