Anti-graft watchdog probes PSM's dollar fraud case
PSM has earlier said that a criminal case has been reported to the police and the matter is being investigated.
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Police have filed a case against the Public Service Media (PSM) with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Police said in a statement on Saturday that a case of PSM fraud has been reported to ACC. The case was referred to the ACC because it has the jurisdiction to investigate corruption cases.
The Auditor General's Office (AGO) has conducted a special audit of PSM after it paid large sums of money to private individuals on several occasions.
The audit report notes:
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From 2020 to April, MVR 5.7 million worth $373,988 was withdrawn from PSM's bank account
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Of that amount, $297,257, or $4.5 million, was not received
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PSM received $76,731, or MVR 1.2 million, from the purchase of dollars
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The former finance director of the company handed over and signed USD 968,580 out of MVR 4.5 million by cheque
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MVR 1.2 million was taken to buy dollars through online transfers; MVR 1.16 million worth $75,491 was deposited into the account of the child of the former PSM finance director
The audit report directed the ACC to investigate the matter as the money withdrawn from the company's bank account in the name of buying dollars for PSM.
The company's chief finance chief was sacked in June after being found to have deposited large sums of money to buy dollars into private accounts.
PSM has earlier said that a criminal case has been reported to the police and the matter is being investigated.
