Watchdog ‘challenging Supreme Court’ with US$110m claim against Villa

The Jumhooree Party has slammed the anti-corruption watchdog’s claim of US$110 million owed by its leader Gasim Ibrahim’s Villa conglomerate.

Following an inquiry, the Anti-Corruption Commission concluded last week that the state incurred heavy losses due to a December 2013 settlement agreement with Villa that waived rent for islands and lagoons leased for resort development.

But the Supreme Court ruled last April that the agreement was terminated unlawfully, resolving a long legal dispute that began when the government seized the properties in February 2015, froze Villa’s bank accounts and sought to recover allegedly unpaid rent and fines.

The ACC is “challenging the decision of the highest court of the Maldives,” JP secretary-general Ahmed Sameer told reporters Saturday, accusing President Abdulla Yameen of “controlling” the independent commission through its under-fire chief.