Male' City - Two prominent Maldivian businessmen — Ahmed Arif, owner of Lotus Fihaara, and Mohamed Waheed, CEO of Apollo Holdings — who were arrested on Tuesday night in connection with the theft of over MVR 100 million worth of cigarettes from state custody, have previously faced corruption allegations involving public funds.

In 2013, both Arif and Waheed were among nine individuals arrested over the misappropriation of more than MVR 24 million from the National Disaster Management Center (NDMC). The case stemmed from an audit that found state funds were siphoned off between 2009 and 2010 through photocopied invoices, even though the payments for the same invoices had already been made in 2005 for the purchase of construction materials intended for tsunami recovery projects.

Although the case was forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s Office, no charges were filed, and the matter did not proceed to trial.

At the time, Ahmed Arif was affiliated with the then-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). In 2019, he contested the Eydhafushi parliamentary seat as an MDP candidate but was unsuccessful. Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, Arif switched allegiance to the Progressive National Congress (PNC), the current ruling party.

Arif is a well-known businessman who owns Lotus Fihaara, one of the largest wholesale outlets in the Maldives. His sons, Zaid-ul-Arif and Zaim-ul-Arif, operate a social media-based media outlet called Sosal, registered under Palmyra Constructions Pvt Ltd, a family-owned construction company.

The current case — involving the alleged theft of 13.6 million cigarettes (1,360 cases) stored under state custody — is being described by authorities as one of the most serious breaches involving state-seized goods in recent years.

Police have arrested four suspects in total, including former and current Customs officers, and imposed travel bans on 12 individuals linked to the investigation. Efforts to recover the stolen goods and identify additional suspects remain ongoing.