No evidence to charge Fazul over document destruction: PG

The Prosecutor General's Office has said that there is no evidence to charge former HDC Managing Director Ibrahim Fazul and Head of IT Abdulla Shuhood in the case of deleting HDC documents from their server without possibility of recovery.

As per the PG Office's website, Fazul and Shuhood were criminally charged with deleting HDC documents from their server without possibility of recovery. However, as there is no evidence or additional crime to prosecute, the case has been filed, as per the website.

The PG Office stated that Fazul and Shuhood were alleged to have deleted HDC documents from their server that could have been used as evidence in a criminal investigation, creating an obstacle in establishing justice and fairness.

The PG Office said that HDC's report from their IT Department stated that no documents or data were deleted or lost from their servers.

The PG Office also said that the police's investigation report stated that they could not find evidence of Fazul and Shuhood having destroyed documents from HDC's servers.

"And so, there is no strong evidence regarding the allegations against Ibrahim Fazul and Abdulla Shuhood," as per the PG Office's website.

The police had accused Fazul of destroying official documents in the case where HDC had awarded plots to those who were not eligible from the previous administration's Binveriya Scheme.

Since last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and police have been conducting investigations into the following cases: HDC awarding plots from Hulhumale' to those who are ineligible, possibility of acts of corruption in awarding Vinares Flats and allegations of fraud regarding awarding flats via the Gedhoruveriya Scheme.

Among the accusations against Fazul, he has also been accused of awarding a plot to his brother who was not eligible using the influence of his position, along with awarding a plot to former MWSC Deputy Managing Director Mohamed Fazeel Rasheed. It has also been revealed that several other ineligible parties were awarded plots.

Fazul resigned from his position as MD of HDC on 21st December in order to aid the ACC's and police's investigation.