In a significant development, all members of the Housing Development Corporation’s (HDC) Board of Directors, excluding Chairman Ahmed Nasif, have been suspended as part of an ongoing police investigation. The inquiry focuses on the alleged illegal allocation of plots in Hulhumalé to individuals not qualifying under the “Binveriya” scheme, designed to distribute land to residents of Malé. The investigation centers around suspicions of document forgery.
The Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB) announced today that this suspension aims to facilitate full cooperation with the authorities. Additionally, HDC’s Managing Director, Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed, has been barred from office pending further board decisions. In a recent press conference, Fazul denied any involvement with the Binveriya scheme’s registrations, asserting that HDC was not responsible for their issuance.
Allegations suggest that Fazul’s elder brother and Mohamed Fazeel Rasheed, Deputy Managing Director of MWSC, were among those improperly granted plots. The controversy erupted after Hassan Kurusee shared documents on social media, revealing that these individuals had applied for boundary wall construction permits through HDC’s portal. Subsequently, HDC reached out to the Housing Ministry to verify plot allocations for these cases.
The original “Binveriya” scheme aimed to distribute 9,001 plots across Hulhumalé Phase 2 and 3, Gulhifalhu, and Giraavaru Falhu in its initial phase and has already issued registration to rightful recipients.
