The board of STO has approved for STO to handle the procurement matters of gas for Maldive Gas.

STO has made this decision after the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Ahmed Nazim, member for Dhuvaafaru constituency, raised an embezzlement issue of STO's subsidiary company Maldive Gas at a meeting of the Parliament's Public Finance Committee.

Nazim said that Maldive Gas had lost advance payment made for a gas shipment, and the amount paid as advance for the gas shipment was USD 240,000.

STO's media official Yoosuf Shah told "One" tonight that the company's board has approved today for STO to oversee the procurement matters of gas for Maldive Gas, and therefore, from today onwards, this work will be carried out by STO. He also said that this is a temporary decision.

At the Public Finance Committee meeting, Nazim said that the lost advance payment was for an LPG shipment in October last year, and efforts to recover the money have not yet been successful.

Even before today's decision by STO's board, Nazim had said at the committee meeting that all gas procurement had been transferred under STO.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has also started investigating this embezzlement case of Maldive Gas.