Former Housing Ministry state minister Akram Kamaluddin on Tuesday asked the Criminal Court to allow an expert to analyse the Gedhoruveriyaa portal, as part of the case against former Housing Ministry officials accused of allocating flats to ineligible applicants under the previous administration’s housing scheme.
Akram, former flat committee member Mohamed Arif, and verification supervisors Ahmed Vishan Naseem and Liraam Waheed have been charged with abuse of official status.
At Tuesday’s hearing, the defence requested access to the Gedhoruveriyaa portal so an expert could examine it. The prosecution objected, arguing that the request amounted to a pre‑trial motion and that the portal contains personal information belonging to thousands of applicants, making access impossible.
All four defendants have previously denied the allegations that they unlawfully awarded points to ineligible applicants.
Akram’s lawyer reiterated that he had not granted benefits to anyone who did not meet the criteria, nor had he abused his position. The other three defendants also pleaded not guilty, after which the prosecution submitted its evidence.
State Minister for Housing, Chairperson of Land and Flat Committee Akram Kamaluddin on November 5, 2023. (Sun Photo/Mohamed Shaathiu)
Earlier, Akram had said that any issues in the flat allocation process may have been administrative errors, insisting that no deliberate wrongdoing had taken place.
The list of 4,000 flat recipients was first published on November 4, 2023, shortly before the end of former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s term. Following widespread complaints, a revised permanent list was issued on November 15.
Akram was the sole member of the committee responsible for allocating flats and land during the previous administration.
The Anti‑Corruption Commission (ACC) later halted the handover of flats, stating that the list had been compiled in a manner that benefited specific groups.
In February, the Housing Ministry announced that only 1,820 applicants were eligible for the 4,000 flats, and that the points awarded to 53 percent of applicants in the previous list were invalid.
Housing Minister Abdullah Muthalib has said the final list of recipients will be issued on November 15, 2023, and that no further lists will be released.