MDP's Shifana appointed chair of Malé council audit committee

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) councillor Hawwa Shifana has been appointed chair of the Malé City Council's Audit Committee.

Shifana, who represents the Machangolhi Medhu constituency, was appointed during the council's general meeting on Wednesday. The appointment was approved unanimously by councillors present at the meeting.

The position was previously held by People's National Congress (PNC) councillor Ahmed Saneef Haneef, who represents the Hulhumalé Medhu constituency.

Saneef resigned from the post two weeks ago, less than 24 hours after his appointment.

MDP councillor Ismail Haleem, who represents the Galolhu Dhekunu constituency, continues to serve as the committee's vice chair.

Before joining the council, Saneef was dismissed from his position as Chief Real Estate Officer at Housing Development Corporation (HDC) following allegations relating to the allocation of land to a person who was not listed as a recipient under the government's Binveriya housing scheme.

His appointment as chair of the Audit Committee drew criticism on social media, after which he resigned from the position.

The Malé City Council has not published an external audit report since 2020, despite managing the largest budget and generating the highest rental revenue among local councils in the Maldives.

The council was also the subject of recent public attention after parts of an internal audit report were withheld from disclosure. Mayor Adam Azim said the decision to withhold sections of the report had been made independently by the council's Information Officer without consulting the council.