Auditor, budget official Ibrahim Rasheed dies in Mecca

Audit and financial services professional Ibrahim Rasheed, widely known as Vaikaradhoo Rasheed, passed away on Tuesday while in Mecca.

A source close to the family said Rasheed died while performing Umrah. He had completed two Umrah pilgrimages and was in a state of Ihram in preparation for a third at the time of his death.

Rasheed served the Maldivian state for more than 36 years, with a career focused on audit work and budget preparation. He was involved in auditing in the tourism sector and continued professional work in the field until recently.

Early in his career, Rasheed worked as a Dhivehi auditor at Bandos Island Resort, one of the country’s first resorts. He later joined the Audit Office before being transferred to the Ministry of Finance in 1981, where he worked on national budget preparation and remained involved in the process for several decades.

During the tenure of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Rasheed was seconded to the Anti-Corruption Commission before returning to the Ministry of Finance. He retired from public service at the age of 65 but continued to work on contract assignments related to budget preparation.

In addition to his professional work, Rasheed was involved in writing and publishing. He was among the founders of the newspaper Abar and served as editor for several newspapers and magazines. He authored books on accounting, which continue to be used in colleges, and wrote a history of the Ministry of Finance. He also contributed to book publishing during successive five-year presidential terms under Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

At the time of his death, Rasheed was preparing two books for publication. One, titled Sunbuli, contains reference material in Dhivehi, including counting terms and measurement standards. The second is a book on auditing, originally written by Rasheed in 1976.

Rasheed is survived by his family. His son, Adil Rasheed, is a medical doctor specialising in dermatology.