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Police have commenced investigations into allegations that a number of staff of Fuel Supplies Maldives (FSM) have been stealing fuel and laundering money.

Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan announced this in a post on social media X yesterday.

Ihusan said that in relation to the case, Police have so far investigated ten individuals, searched two residences and two fuel barges, as well as seized related electronic devices and documents.

The minister said that Police will reveal further information as the investigation proceeds.

A similar case, this time of misappropriation of funds, had come to light earlier as well, when last January, Police said they had received evidence that Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) had issued payment for 119 fuel delivery orders that MPL had not received to FSM.

At the time, Police said that investigations had revealed that a number of staff from both MPL and FSM had misappropriated total funds of over MVR 6.7 million.

That case involved one foreigner and four Maldivians, three of whom worked at FSM and two from MPL. Charges are to be pressed against all five.