MWSC: Fazeel was given time to defend himself, paid suspension was mandatory

Mohamed Fazeel Rasheed was dismissed from his role as the deputy managing director of Male’ Water and Sewerage Company (MSWC) after six months of suspension after affording him enough time to defend himself against the allegations of corruption against him, says Abdul Matheen Mohamed, the managing director of the state-run utility company.

Fazeel was suspended on December 19, in the wake of allegations that he was given land from Hulhumale’ by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) – a corporation that was headed by his younger brother Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed at the time - under the ‘Binveriya’ housing scheme despite being declared ineligible for land under the scheme.

He was dismissed on Tuesday after over six months of paid suspension as the authorities investigated the case.

In a post on X announcing Fazeel’s dismissal, the MWSC said the company’s board of directors made the decision to protect the company’s interests.

MWSC said that they do not believe it to be in the interest of the company to have Fazeel “continue to be paid a salary and remain in such a senior position given the investigation against him.”

When questioned by Sun regarding why Fazeel remained on paid suspension for so long, Matheen said on Wednesday that the company gave Fazeel appropriate time defend himself against the allegations against him. He also said that employees can only be put on suspension without pay for a limited period of time, and insisted that Fazeel was put on paid suspension “in accordance with the law.”

Matheen said that the law is clear that employees cannot be put on suspension without pay for a long period of time.

“We gave time for the case to be closed, for it to be cleared. Everyone has the right to that opportunity. Everyone has a right to [protect] their dignity,” he said.

“Based on this perspective, we tried to follow proper procedure. We gave the opportunity close it and produce an outcome.”

Matheen said that Fazeel was suspended to provide room for the investigation and to give him enough time to defend himself against the allegations.

Documents leaked on social media on December 18 appeared to show that multiple people were given land from Hulhumale’ under the ‘Binveriya’ scheme despite not being on the list of recipients released in 2023 during the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration.

Documents shared with Sun by a credible source include a letter sent by HDC to the Housing Ministry dated July 24, seeking to clarify the owner of Hulhumale’ lot number 20768 – after the corporation received applications from two different individuals – one of them Fazeel - who claimed to have received the plot under the ‘Binveriya’ scheme and asked for permission to build boundary walls around the property.

In response to the letter as well as other similar inquiries, the Housing Ministry wrote back on August 15 that the ‘Binveriya’ database does not show the individuals mentioned in HDC’s letters to have submitted applications under the scheme.

The Housing Ministry also said that Hulhumale’ lot number 20768 as well as another lot – 20821 – had not been awarded by the ministry to anyone. These two plots are claimed by a total of six people.

The final list of recipients of the ‘Binveriya’ scheme publicized in August 2023 lists Fazeel as an applicant, but also shows he was deemed ineligible as he had already been awarded housing under a different social housing scheme.

However, the leaked documents show Fazeel has a land registry for the plot, signed by Housing Ministry’s director general Ahmed Vishan Naseem and dated September 11, 2023.

The allegations against HDC are the subject of a criminal investigation by the police. The police had said they questioned Fazeel regarding the allegations.

9,003 plots of land were awarded under phase one of the ‘Binveriya’ housing scheme, from land reclaimed or being reclaimed from Hulhumale’, Gulhifalhu and Giraavarufalhi.

The corruption scandal came amid mounting public frustration over the delay in handover of flats and land awarded under the MDP administration’s housing schemes.