Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu accused of corruption ahead of polls, Opposition seeks impeachment

Maldives President Mahamed Muizzu has been accused of corruption mere days before the crucial parliamentary election. A leaked report claims that the senior politician was involved in numerous ‘financial irregularities’ in 2018. Opposition leaders have since called for his impeachment and sought a probe.

“These reports claim irregularities in money transfers to President Muizzu’s personal bank account, highlighting 10 critical red flag indicators of financial misconduct. These indicators suggest involvement with politically exposed persons, embezzlement, structured transactions, and the use of corporate entities to hide fund origins,” news portal Maldives Republic reported.

The political storm began after an anonymous X (nee Twitter) handle called ‘Hassan Kurusee’ shared the purported documents. The leaked intelligence reports including missives prepared by the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Maldives Monetary Authority and the Maldives Police Service that link President Muizzu to corruption.

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Opposition leaders from the Maldivian Democratic Party and People's National Front have since called for a probe into the allegations. Former Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed also sought the impeachment of Muizzu and stressed the need for accountability in social media posts of his own. Ahmed also accused the President of extensive corruption in his flagship Ras Male’ development project and excessive public relations expenditure.

The President has however denied the allegations and insisted that the Opposition “cannot show any wrongdoing on his part regardless of how far attempts to implicate him are taken”.

The archipelago is slated to hold parliamentary elections on April 21 — with 368 candidates in the fray for 93 seats. The results hold additional significance as it will likely termine whether the opposition parties can act against President Muizzu. The People's National Congress leader had assumed charge in November last year and faced an impeachment bid soon after taking over the top role.

(With inputs from agencies)