Member of Parliament for Baarah Constituency Ibrahim Shujau has called for accountability over MVR154 million borrowed from the World Bank in 2022 for the Maldives' digitalisation during MDP’s tenure, alleging there is no visible evidence of how the funds were utilised.

Shujau made the remarks during Monday's parliamentary debate on the government's proposed Maldives 2.0 Digital Transformation Bill.

He said the previous MDP administration obtained the World Bank loan in July 2022 to support the country's digital transformation, but claimed the project had produced no identifiable results. He urged the Government to trace the funds and recover any money found to have been misused.

MP Shujau also clarified that the proposed legislation is not intended to introduce electronic voting. Instead, he said the bill aims to modernise public services, improve accessibility and support the Maldives' transition to a paperless digital government.

The bill has been accepted by Parliament and referred to the Information and Communications Technology Committee for further review.

The proposed legislation seeks to establish a secure and reliable digital governance framework to enable the digital delivery of Government services under a "digital-first" policy. It also provides for the launch of the Maldives 2.0 digital transformation programme, the establishment of a Maldives Digital Service agency to oversee its implementation, and the legal framework required to strengthen digital governance across the country.