Maldives Police Service has launched an investigation into allegations that Centre Enterprises Pvt Ltd attempted to fraudulently obtain state funds by submitting forged documents.

According to the police, the case concerns transactions between 2006 and 2009 involving Centre Enterprises and the Department of Medical Services, which operated under the Ministry of Health at the time. The company allegedly submitted falsified documents claiming that the state had failed to pay for goods and services supplied during that period.

The case was initially lodged with the Maldives Police Service by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) on 5 March 2019, following findings from an audit conducted by the Auditor General’s Office.

The audit report, released earlier this week, revealed that Centre Enterprises had filed court cases in 2020 seeking MVR 400 million for goods and services allegedly provided to various state institutions and state-owned enterprises between 2006 and 2010. The report stated that the company had submitted forged documents to support its claims, including invalid bank guarantees from the State Bank of India (SBI) and falsified records under the name of ADK Enterprises.

The audit further noted that while Centre Enterprises had agreements to supply medical equipment and consumables to island health facilities, it failed to provide delivery notes confirming that any goods were actually delivered.

The Auditor General has recommended that the matter be investigated further, noting concerns that false documents were being used in attempts to claim payments for goods never supplied.

The Attorney General’s Office has since provided all relevant documents to the police, and officials have stated that appropriate legal action should be taken against those involved.