Minister of Construction, Housing, and Infrastructure, Dr Abdulla Muththalib, has announced that the list of beneficiaries of 4,000 flats under the Gedhoruveriya housing scheme will be reverified. 

Speaking at his first media briefing since the dissolution of the housing ministry and the transfer of its mandate to the construction ministry, Minister Dr Muththalib said the verification process would be completed before Ramadan. However, the Minister did not announce an exact date for the release of the updated list.

The previous government had announced a final list of flat recipients just two days before President Dr Mohamed Muizzu took office. Minister Dr Muththalib highlighted that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had expressed concerns over the lack of fairness in the process and had recommended halting it.

Key concerns raised by the ACC included discrepancies in the interpretation of eligibility criteria, particularly the requirement for uninterrupted residence in Male’ City. To address this, the ministry will adopt a more consistent interpretation of this criterion, aligning it with the standards used in the 2015 housing programme.

As such, the ministry has outlined circumstances under which exceptions may be considered. These include periods of employment outside of Male’ city, time spent abroad or outside Male’ for higher studies, and employment periods at resorts with family residing in Male’. 

Minister Dr Muththalib stated that all submitted documents would be thoroughly verified during the re-evaluation process. Once completed, the updated list will be made public, allowing individuals to file complaints if necessary.

The finalised list will be published in the Government Gazette, the minister assured.