The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has announced that it has requested the recovery of over MVR 120 million in connection with various cases involving the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) scam.
In a statement released on Thursday evening, the ACC confirmed it is actively investigating 37 MMPRC fraud cases in collaboration with the police, with an additional 15 cases undergoing duty prosecution with the Prosecutor General's Office. The ACC has formally ordered the relevant authorities to recover MVR 123,732,662 from the state as a result of these investigations. The commission reiterated its commitment to pursuing legal interests independently and within the bounds of the law.
The Prosecutor General's Office also stated on Thursday evening that it has completed its investigation into the MMPRC fraud case and is preparing it for prosecution. On January 19, the PG Office had formally requested the ACC to annul agreements that previously prevented the prosecution of certain individuals, including former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, in the MMPRC scam. The PG Office further instructed the ACC to submit these agreements by the following Wednesday for discussions regarding the investigation's progress. While the prosecutor general’s office confirmed it was already investigating and prosecuting an MMPRC case, specific details were not provided.
It is noteworthy that former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, convicted for his role in the extensive MMPRC scam, and then MMPRC Managing Director Abdullah Ziyath, received pardons from former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih just three days before the end of his term. Consequently, Adeeb is currently residing abroad.
To date, the state has made limited progress in recovering the scammed funds, and the Asset Recovery Commission, established by the previous government, similarly demonstrated minimal effectiveness.
The MMPRC scam reportedly implicates several high-ranking officials within the government and independent institutions, as well as certain Members of Parliament from both the ruling and opposition parties. This information is derived from a recently leaked forensic report, widely known as ‘Adeeb Files’ on social media, which details some transactions conducted on Adeeb's phone in late 2014.