Two individuals have been convicted in connection with the embezzlement of 783,100 litres of diesel intended for Maldives Ports Limited (MPL), resulting in a financial loss of approximately MVR 6.8 million.
Those convicted are Mohamed Aiman, a former chief manager of MPL’s Procurement Department from Feydhoo, Addu City, and a Bangladeshi national identified as Sojib.
The case involved falsified fuel delivery records and forged signatures used to document diesel supplies that investigators found had not been received by MPL as recorded.
Fraudulent fuel deliveries recorded over nine months
According to details of the case, Aiman was responsible for negotiating diesel supplies with Fuel Supplies Maldives (FSM) while serving as MPL’s procurement chief manager.
Investigators established that between 13 January and 10 October 2020, a total of 119 delivery notes were billed and signed, documenting the purported receipt of 783,100 litres of diesel.
However, the recorded fuel deliveries did not take place as stated in the documents.
Despite the discrepancies, payments amounting to MVR 6,799,800 were made to FSM for the diesel listed in the delivery records.
Prison sentences imposed for embezzlement and forgery
The court found both individuals guilty of offences involving embezzlement and the forgery of documents and signatures.
An eight-year prison sentence was imposed for the embezzlement offence, while the forgery conviction resulted in an additional sentence of nine months and 18 days.
The court also ordered restitution of MVR 6,799,800 to the government.
The ruling concerns the misuse of fuel procurement documentation and payments associated with MPL operations during the January–October 2020 period.
