The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has been granted full access to the ‘Gedhoruveriya’ portal in a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the allocation of flats under the previous government’s ‘Gedhoruveriya’ housing scheme, the commission has confirmed. The commission’s president Adam Shamil had earlier indicated that the investigation was at a standstill due to restricted access to essential data.
Despite claims of an automated system, the ACC’s probe is centred around allegations of manual manipulation of points during the approval stage. This manipulation has raised concerns over potential misconduct and abuse of authority among officials responsible for the approval process.
Dr Ali Haider Ahmed, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, informed the Parliament Committee on National Development and Heritage on 27 November that ACC had been granted access to the portal. However, he later retracted his statement when questioned by the Parliament Petitions Committee.
While the ACC was previously denied access to the portal, it had alleged that two individuals with access had unlawfully tampered with the points. During a petitions committee hearing, former State Minister for Housing Akram Kamaludeen refuted this allegation. Kamaludeen contested the ACC’s claims regarding the extent of discrepancies in the allocation of flats. He was summoned in response to a petition submitted to Parliament concerning the allotment of flats under the Gedhoruveriya scheme.
Kamaludeen, who chaired the committee overseeing the allocation of land plots and flats under the previous government, attributed political motivations to the ACC’s claims and criticised the commission for publicising preliminary findings without conducting a thorough investigation.
