The Anti-Corruption Commission has referred former Maldives Ports Limited CEO Mohammed Junaid to the Prosecutor General’s Office over a questionable purchase of air-conditioning units that left the state company hundreds of thousands of rufiyaa out of pocket.
According to the ACC, MPL bought 18 air-conditioning units in 2016 and 2017 while ignoring the procurement rules that state-owned companies are supposed to follow. There was no public tender and no formal approval from the company’s board of directors.
The contract went to a business run by someone with zero track record in the air-conditioning trade. The units ended up costing MVR 1.084 million more than the prevailing market rate. That is not a rounding error. That is a serious premium for what should have been a straightforward purchase.
Junaid, who was CEO at the time, and the then head of the procurement department, Abdul Wahhab of M. Hill in the Garden, were both sent to the Prosecutor General on Wednesday. The ACC is seeking charges of abusing an official position for illegal gain and failing to act in the state’s interest.
How a Routine Purchase Turned Costly
State companies are required to open tenders and get board clearance for deals of this size. Skipping both steps raises obvious questions. Why was the work handed to an inexperienced supplier? Who signed off on a price that sat more than a million rufiyaa above market value?
The ACC’s findings suggest the process was neither competitive nor transparent. In a country where public money is constantly under scrutiny, cases like this keep the spotlight on how state enterprises handle everyday spending.
Prosecutors will now decide whether formal charges move forward. For now, the file sits with the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the public is left waiting to see if anyone faces consequences for what the ACC describes as clear rule-breaking.
