Leaked report on corruption allegation against President Muizzu stirs controversy in Maldives

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Maldives, opposition parties are calling for an investigation and possible impeachment of President Mohamed Muizzu in response to a leaked report dating back to 2018 alleging corruption.

The parliamentary elections for the Majlis are scheduled for Sunday, ahead of which, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and President Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) have engaged in trading barbs and accusations against each other.

The political turmoil began when an anonymous individual using the handle ‘Hassan Kurusee’ shared leaked intelligence reports on social media, which included documents from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Maldives Monetary Authority and the Maldives Police Service. These reports purportedly linked President Muizzu to financial misconduct, citing irregularities in money transfers to his personal bank account and suggesting possible involvement with politically exposed individuals, embezzlement, structured transactions, and the use of corporate entities to conceal fund origins.

The allegations sparked a firestorm of reactions on social media, with demands from the MDP and People’s National Front (PNF) for an official investigation into the matter. Former vice president Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed went a step further, calling for President Muizzu’s impeachment based on the leaked intelligence reports. Jameel emphasized the importance of accountability in governance and urged President Muizzu to cooperate with independent investigations into the allegations, including those related to the Ras Male’ development project and alleged excessive spending on public relations.

President Muizzu responded to the corruption allegations on Tuesday, asserting that the opposition’s attempts to implicate him were baseless and driven by desperation. He denied any wrongdoing and accused the opposition of leaking the reports to tarnish his reputation.

“The same allegations had been made during his campaigns for mayor and President,” he said adding, the response would also be the same as before.

“While you attempt to pin something on me like this, you couldn’t do it before and you can’t do it now. There’s nothing you can show against me no matter how far you take this,” President said to Adhadhu.com.

Despite calls from the opposition for government agencies to investigate the allegations, no official response has been issued regarding the authenticity of the leaked reports.

(With agency inputs)

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