Police clear Rajunee of wrongdoing in flat
Rajunee Shuaib was suspended from his role as Head of Economic Crime on December 21, 2024.
Superintendent of Police Rajunee Shuaib, head of the Maldives Police Service's Economic Crime Unit, has been cleared of any wrongdoing related to his acquisition of a flat under the Vinares Housing Project.
The Maldives Police Service (MPS) issued a statement on social media on Wednesday affirming that their investigation into the matter found no evidence of illegal activity or misconduct surrounding the acquisition of the flat.
The controversy surrounding Rajunee Shuaib emerged in December 2024, when allegations surfaced that he had unfairly received a flat under the Vinares Housing Project, a government initiative designed to provide housing to those in need. Social media reports claimed that Rajunee had been involved in irregularities surrounding the allocation of flats, particularly the unfair distribution of units and land to individuals who were not on the approved lists.
The matter gained further attention on December 18, 2024, when the police held a press conference to discuss an investigation into what was described as a "forged land" case. Rajunee was in attendance at the meeting, which led to criticism from opposition parties. They accused the police of turning the press conference into a "political event" and claimed that the investigation was being used as a tool to deflect attention from the controversial issue of land allocations.
In response to the public uproar and to ensure the integrity of the ongoing investigations, Rajunee Shuaib was suspended from his role as Head of Economic Crime on December 21, 2024. However, police spokesperson Ahmed Shifan clarified at the time that the suspension was not due to any findings of misconduct on Rajunee’s part, but was instead a precautionary measure to protect the credibility of the investigation into the land allocation issues.
Following a review of information, the police confirmed in a statement issued on their official X account that no irregularities had been discovered in Rajunee’s acquisition of the flat. The statement noted that after examining the documents and data shared by relevant agencies, there was no evidence to suggest that the flat was obtained unlawfully or through improper means.
