Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Rozaina Adam on Thursday posted more invoices and receipts from the former presidential palace Theemuge on her Twitter account, following her exposure earlier this month of extravagant spending by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s family.
The lavish expenses were allegedly made out of the Theemuge Welfare Budget – funds that were earmarked for helping the poor upon written request to the former palace, such as requests for assistance to seek medical treatment overseas.
The latest invoices to be made public by the DRP MP included a payment voucher of £1,013 (MVR 25,122) from the Maldives High Commission in the UK for “17 boxes of personal belongings of HEP’s [His Excellency the President’s] family and 1 box to the Office at the Presidential Palace, sent to Theemuge by airfreight.”
The boxes contained items purchased by the former President’s family during shopping sprees in London, the MP explained.
Among the other documents uploaded by the MP for Kaafu Thulusdhoo was “a receipt verified by the Audit Office for US$50,000 taken by [former First Lady] Nasreena [Ibrahim] on her Dubai trip,” MP Rozaina tweeted.
Rozaina also posted a credit card statement “for the meal by MAG [Maumoon Abdul Gayoom] family at Thanying Restaurant which cost MVR 21,803.88.”
She posted a second receipt of US$1,414 for a meal at the same restaurant in Singapore “on the same trip by MAG family.”
“Here’s the actual meal receipt for 1 meal by MAG family from ‘Song of India’ restaurant [at a] cost [of] MVR 22,097.7,” Rozaina tweeted with a picture of another receipt.
After MP Rozaina first made the allegations of extravagant spending from Theemuge in parliament, former President Gayoom’s lawyer, Ibrahim Waheed, released a statement insisting that all expenditure out of Theemuge was “in accordance with the rules and regulations” and in line with the former presidential palace’s budget approved by parliament.
Waheed added that all records and documentation of expenditure were left at the palace files when the former president left office in November 2008.
Rozaina however issued a counter statement last week noting that the former president’s lawyer had neither contested the authenticity of the bills and invoices nor denied that the expenses were made out of the Theemuge budget.
In her statement, the DRP MP said that the invoices and bills she made public were “just a few among thousands” at parliament’s Finance Committee.
Pressed by Twitter users when she first uploaded the documents on October 19 as to why she had not spoken about the Theemuge expenses before, Rozaina tweeted, “I thought auditor general was politicising. He sent all the bills this year.”
“Previously it was just a report,” she added. “Documentary evidence was sent to the Majlis only this year.”
Rozaina revealed that parliament’s Finance Committee was currently reviewing the Theemuge audit report.
MP Rozaina’s husband and DRP MP for Raa Atoll Alifushi, Mohamed Nashiz, is the deputy chair of the committee.
The damning audit report (English) of the former presidential palace for 2007 and 2008 – released in April 2009 – stated that 49 percent of the palace’s welfare budget, equivalent to MVR 48.2 million (US$3,750,000 at the time), was diverted from the budget for the poor in 2007 and 52 percent, MVR 44.9 million (US$3,500,000), in 2008.
“We believe this is corruption and misappropriation of public funds,” the former Auditor General had stated.
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Despite all this documentary evidence, what, if any action, is going to be taken? As recent cases of corruption involving former politicians have shown, the Maldivian justice system is ill prepared to serve the nation.
Good dumping station no wonder the Dictator so mad about coming back to office live free and could there dump to the poor.
No proper food no proper heath no proper education and no proper homes.
Will be rally a pain in there spending all this money to build this supper de lax and to leave.
I believe this is just wast of money could have build a better Maldives rather than wasting all this money.and wasting money on forces for them to live safe.
I wonder whether the dictator has any thing to offer to the Maldivians except misery. He and his family has abused the wealth in a big way and vandelsiing their way in again for more corruption. Stay away MAG and family .. enough of eating fire it's time to suffer for the crimes that you have committed
@Ash,
Its Bhagee Waheed who is putting the corrupt family back on throne.
WOW ONE SINGLE MEAL 22000 AND YET THE POOR MAN WHO BEG FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE GOT ONLY 300USD....PLEASE GIVE NO MORE CHANCE TO THIS FAMILY WHO SUCKS OUR BLOOD.
heevesnuvey. Lol
Waheed and Gayoom are the same!!
We do not want leaders like Maumoon and Anni who spend millions on family members and fellow activists while the ordinary people starve to death. We deserve better leaders.
"former President Gayoom’s lawyer, Ibrahim Waheed, released a statement insisting that all expenditure out of Theemuge was “in accordance with the rules and regulations” and in line with the former presidential palace’s budget approved by parliament."
If Gayyoom through his lawyer is insisting that all expenditure was made legally, and is trying to prove himself innocent; I would like to question Gayyoom, and his lawyers if it were allowed, should he do it and fleece the nation as he has done?
If he and his lawyer are of opinion that it can be done even if allowed I will prove that the penalty for fleecing a nation would be to lynch even if there were no provision which allow it!
Parliament should summon Ali Arif and Adam Hassan, who appear to be signatories on the invoice shown here and probably a lot more that we have not yet seen.
They need to answer the nation regarding the capacity in which they signed off these payments.
Where's the Judiciary, Parliament and independent institutions who should be making Maumoon, his family and staff accountable for this robbery?
Here's an Orchid for Miss Rose.
This is like a drop in the ocean. These gangs carry over 100 suit cases of stuff every time they visit singapore. Gayoom and cronies make over 20 trips a year
All Rozaina does is sit in her toilet all day. Women should not be in parliament....but even she is better than Seyku Nasheed.
I think shimy has a crush on seyku nasheed.. But he will succeed only if seyku nasheed agrees.
What can uncover only two years of audit reports- the nation was plundered according to the law, freedom was scuttled according to the law, development was denied according to the law. Taxation was withheld according to the law. Mismanagement was in accordance with the law.
Leaders with no track records other than created by money will be exposed. To shun the exposure will be always a losing battle.
Enough looting! If MAG stayed for one more term in office, he would have bought a private jet for all his extravagant trips. No wonder the guy had been inspired by Gaddafi!
Reesh
Can you tell me what Anni spent on his family?