A case claiming that Gn. Fuvahmulah Atoll Council had acted in contradiction to the law when granting a driver’s license to a citizen, has been investigated and forwarded to Prosecutor General’s Office by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Upon investigation, it was found that on 2nd march 2015 and 8th March 2015, a citizen submitted a form to the Fuvahmulah Atoll Council requesting for a driving license upon which, the 2 forms were approved and the license was granted.
On the section required to be filled by Maldives police Service in the forenamed 2 forms, it was stated the individual requesting the license was fined by MVR 40,000.00 (forty thousand) which has yet to be paid. However, the investigation found that there was no policy in Maldives Transport Authority that permits the issuance of a license for individuals who owe payment for any fine due from driving vehicles. The investigation further revealed that the two forms were accepted and the license was made against the article 5 (g) of Ministry of Housing, Transport and Environment’s law number 4/2009 (22 December 2009) “Regulation on issuing driver’s license”
Moreover, as the investigation revealed that the forms were accepted and the license was granted upon the command made by the Director of Fuvahmulah Atoll Council, it is evident that the Council’s Director has misused his position to provide an undue advantage to a third party. Likewise, the assistant Director of the council had not taken the necessary steps to check the validity of the form, prior to signing the form as the authorizer. Therefore, it is clear that the license was granted causing a loss for the government and providing an undue advantage to a third party due to the negligence of the Assistant Director.
Thereby, the Commission has concluded that the case warrants prosecution on the grounds that the Director and Assistant Director of Fuvahmulah Atoll Council had acted in a manner that provided an undue advantage to a third party. Thus, the case has been forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s Office to be prosecuted under Article 12 (a) of Law number: 2/2000 (Prevention & Prohibition of Corruption Act).
Furthermore, as Fuvahmulah Atoll Council’s Director and Assistant Director’s action resulted with a MVR 40,000.00 (forty thousand) loss to the government, the case has been forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s office to recompense the government loss.