15 employees at the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) who were dismissed following the exposure of a case where plots of land were illegally allocated to ineligible individuals under the ‘Binveriyaa’ scheme, have been reinstated.

They were reinstated on Wednesday.

It was announced on Sunday that 15 employees working at HDC were terminated abruptly. A document stating the termination of their employment agreements was also made public.

The letter, signed by HDC’s Chairperson Ahmed Nasif, stated that the employment agreements were terminated with reference to Article 23 (a) and (b) of the Employment Act. It was also revealed that Nasif signed the letter after the HR Head refused to sign it.

RaajjeMV understands that although the employees have been reinstated, they remain suspended.

As reported by some other media outlets, while these individuals are currently suspended, the suspension of employees unrelated to the matters under investigation will be lifted. Appropriate measures will also be taken against those who are involved.

With the exposure of the case where plots of land were illegally given to unqualified individuals under the landownership scheme in Hulhumalé, several instances of theft, embezzlement, and fraud occurring within HDC have been coming to light.

In the ongoing investigation by the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), they have raided the residence of HDC's former Managing Director, Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed, in addition to HDC itself.

After it was confirmed that HDC had forged government land registration documents in the name of the former Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure during the incumbent’s first year in office, and with multiple corruption allegations against HDC, Fazul resigned. Shortly after, Mauroof Jameel was appointed as the new Managing Director of HDC.