2 jailed over MVR 6.7 million diesel fraud at Maldives Ports Limited

The Criminal Court has sentenced a senior Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) official and a Bangladeshi fuel tanker driver to eight years, nine months and 18 days in prison each after finding them guilty of embezzling 783,100 litres of diesel worth MVR 6.7 million.

The court also imposed fines totalling MVR 6 million and ordered the repayment of MVR 6.7 million to the state, representing the value of the misappropriated fuel.

The two men were identified as Mohamed Aiman, Chief Manager of MPL's Procurement Department, from Vaaruge, S. Feydhoo, and Sojib, a Bangladeshi national employed as a fuel tanker driver by Fuel Supply Maldives (FSM).

Both were charged on 25 February 2024 with embezzlement and producing false documents with the intention of deceiving another party.

The Criminal Court found the charges proven and delivered its verdict on Thursday.

According to the prosecution, the two men were involved in the embezzlement of 783,100 litres of diesel, valued at approximately MVR 6.7 million, which should have been supplied to MPL.

The case centred on 119 delivery notes prepared between 13 January and 10 October 2020.

Prosecutors said Aiman, in his capacity as Chief Manager of MPL's Procurement Department, instructed that the delivery notes be accepted by claiming they related to fuel supplied to the company during 2019.

The delivery notes were subsequently accepted and processed through the company's system, creating records indicating that MPL had received 783,100 litres of diesel that had not actually been delivered.

As a result, MVR 6.7 million was paid to FSM for the fuel.

The prosecution alleged that Aiman facilitated the acceptance and processing of the documents despite the company not receiving the diesel.

The prosecution also accused Sojib of participating in the scheme while working as a fuel tanker driver for FSM.

According to the charges, Sojib prepared and signed 119 delivery notes between 13 January and 10 October 2020 in connection with fuel deliveries to MPL.

The documents falsely represented that 783,100 litres of diesel had been delivered to the company.

Prosecutors said Sojib's actions contributed to the embezzlement of the fuel and the processing of payments for supplies that MPL had not received.

The Criminal Court found both men guilty of the charges and sentenced each to eight years, nine months and 18 days in prison.

The court also imposed fines totalling MVR 6 million in connection with the case.

In addition, the court ordered the payment of MVR 6.7 million to the state to recover the value of the embezzled diesel.

The case involved fuel transactions recorded over a nine-month period in 2020, during which 119 delivery notes were used to account for diesel that prosecutors established had not been supplied to MPL.