Bassam Adeel Jaleel was sentenced to an additional 23 years in prison after he was convicted of fraud and money laundering. The charges stemmed from the embezzlement of US$ 1.2 million provided by FIFA to support local football clubs during the Covid-19 pandemic. Bassam used the stolen funds to buy two penthouses at Amin Avenue, the court found, and ordered him to return the money to the Football Association of Maldives within six months, along with fines totalling MVR 44.4 million (US$ 2.8 million). But Judge Mohamed Misbah acquitted Amin Construction on charges of assisting in laundering the funds. The Prosecutor General’s Office said it plans to appeal the acquittal, calling it inconsistent with legal and judicial standards. But a final decision would be made after the full judgment is released, the PG office noted. The court has yet to deliver verdicts against FAM’s former finance chief Mohamed Ageel and Hassan Waheed, both of whom are also accused of helping to launder the stolen FIFA funds.
The infrastructure ministry awarded projects worth US$ 104 million to the state-owned Maldives Transport and Contracting Company, including land reclamation, beach protection, road development and harbour development across 14 islands.
Nearly MVR 36 billion was spent over the past five years on state-funded healthcare, including costs of public healthcare facilities, the Aasandha insurance scheme and medical costs outside the scheme, a performance audit found. Annual spending averaged MVR 6 billion, of which MVR 2.7 billion went to Aasandha. Prescription coverage was the largest cost, averaging MVR 925 million a year, driven by a seven percent annual increase linked to poor drug price controls and the continued addition of new medicines. The audit flagged an 18 percent yearly rise in payouts to private healthcare facilities and continued overseas referrals. Aasandha operates as a general state healthcare fund rather than a premium insurance scheme as initially envisioned under law, it noted. The audit projected Aasandha costs would reach MVR 4 billion by 2027, a 62 percent increase from 2019, and recommended enforcing price caps, introducing co-payments for overseas treatment, revising medical welfare policies to target subsidies, and investing in disease prevention research.
The Election Commission opened an online portal for candidates to submit applications for the upcoming local council elections. Applications officially open on January 17. But the portal was made active to familiarise candidates with the requirements, uploading documents and making the process smoother, the EC said. Candidates contesting on political party tickets will require an endorsement from the party while independent candidates are required to submit signatures of 50 constituents. An administrative fee of MVR 1,500 will be charged for each application.
The central bank's role as the custodian of the Zakat Fund was renewed under an agreement signed with the reconstituted Zakat House. The fund is to be managed through a separate public bank account to “strengthen transparency, accountability and public confidence in its governance, management and distribution”. The President’s Office meanwhile opened applications to fill two vacancies on the Zakat Council for experts currently not employed in government institutions.
Parliament approved former animal welfare minister Dr Aishath Rameela as the new president of the Human Rights Commission.
MDP MP Ahmed Shamheed accused the government of losing access to US$ 33.7 million under the World Bank’s sustainable development finance policy, blaming weak fiscal management and poor debt management.
