Malé, Maldives – The long-dormant Ventilator Corruption case from 2020 has resurfaced following a Dubai court ruling ordering Executors Trading Company, a Dubai-based firm, to pay MVR 37 million to the Maldivian government. The ruling comes nearly five years after the controversial procurement deal that became one of the most widely discussed corruption cases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April 2020, amid the global pandemic, the Maldivian government awarded a contract to Executors Trading Company to supply 75 ventilators urgently needed for hospitals. The company received an advance payment of MVR 32 million, but only 15 ventilators were delivered — all of which failed to meet required specifications.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) launched an investigation and found that the payment was made without a signed contract, and the deal was awarded without a public tender. Investigators also noted that Executors Trading had no prior experience supplying medical equipment, and local companies offering lower prices were overlooked.

The ACC’s report further stated that key documents were backdated, and that then Health Minister Abdulla Ameen had falsely claimed the company was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Despite these findings, the Prosecutor General’s Office decided not to press charges, citing insufficient evidence. Shortly after, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration replaced the ACC members, and the newly appointed commission closed the case without prosecution or recovery of funds.

Former Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen (Left), Former Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer (Right)

In early 2023, ahead of the presidential campaign, the Solih administration re-submitted the case to the Maldives International Arbitration Center (MIAC). In February 2024, the MIAC ruled that Executors Trading Company must pay MVR 34 million to the Maldivian government. However, the company failed to attend hearings or comply with the ruling.

The current administration later escalated the case to a Dubai court, which last week ruled in favour of the Maldives, ordering Executors Trading to pay MVR 37 million.

Following the verdict, former President Abdulla Yameen called for authorities to trace the flow of funds, alleging that the money was diverted to a Bank of Ceylon account belonging to the child of a prominent Maldivian politician. Yameen described the transaction as pre-planned corruption carried out using a “paper company” to channel funds.

Meanwhile, the ACC has reopened the case, summoning the former Finance Minister who approved the advance payment for questioning. After the summons was issued, former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih publicly condemned the move, calling it a politically motivated investigation targeting members of his former cabinet.

As the case gains renewed attention, questions remain over whether this latest phase will lead to genuine accountability — or become yet another politically charged chapter in one of the Maldives’ most controversial corruption scandals.