ACC meets PCB to strengthen governance in state‑owned companies, focusing on procurement awareness and staff training

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday held discussions with the Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB), which oversees government companies, to strengthen integrity and governance in state‑owned enterprises.

In a post on X, the ACC said the meeting mainly focused on increasing employee awareness of state procurement rules and regulations and ensuring their proper implementation.

The commission said the discussions included incorporating PCB procurement guidelines into awareness programmes and giving priority to familiarising employees with these rules through ongoing training.  

The meeting also explored introducing mandatory induction programmes for staff working in procurement and finance.

The PCB is the supervisory authority for government companies. Many people have raised concerns that no action is taken against officials of these companies, and the ACC has also faced criticism for not doing enough to investigate corruption cases involving SOEs.

ACC met with the @pcb_gov to strengthen integrity and governance in SOEs. Discussions focused on integrating PCB procurement guidelines into awareness programmes, ongoing training initiatives, and introducing mandatory induction programmes for procurement and finance staff. pic.twitter.com/RO9vfPgbiV

— ACC-MALDIVES (@ACC_Maldives) April 20, 2026

There have been repeated allegations of corruption in the procurement of goods and services and in recruitment by government companies. Such allegations often intensify during election periods.

Important elections were held on the 4th of this month, and a large number of government companies announced job openings last month. From 1 to 28 March alone, MTCC announced 1,185 vacancies.  

The government faced heavy criticism, and it also suffered losses in the council elections, women’s development committee elections and invisible votes.

Since then, the government has undergone major changes. The number of ministries has been reduced from 20 to 15, with 10 ministers resigning on the same day.

In addition, the Finance Ministry has asked the PCB to cut 33 percent of staff in state‑owned companies. Finance Minister Moosa Zameer said on Sunday that SOEs have an estimated total of 42,000 employees.  

He said the extent of staff cuts will depend on each company’s operational needs, noting that some companies may not require a full 33 percent reduction.

On Monday, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu said individuals appointed by a particular person with a political ideology should not remain in state companies. He added that the government will reduce staff numbers based on employee performance and organisational needs.