On Wednesday, the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Committee of parliament held a meeting to address the growing number of funds being siphoned off from bank accounts through scams. The committee was summoned to investigate the losses suffered by several bank customers, including senior bank officials, the Central Bank Governor, owners of the Communications Authority of Maldives (CAM), and police officers.
The meeting was chaired by Hulhudhoo MP Ilyas Labeeb, who suggested keeping the proceedings confidential due to the sensitive nature of the case, which could make it difficult to obtain complete information. The agencies present at the meeting agreed with the proposal to maintain secrecy to avoid compromising national security.
An official representing CAM explained that the information shared with the committee could aid the scammers, and it was not suitable for public disclosure. Similarly, Governor Ali Hashim of the Central Bank was hesitant to reveal confidential information, stating that only what can be discussed in public could be disclosed.
Chief Superintendent Ahmed Shakir, who appeared before the committee on behalf of the police, stressed that sharing information about what is happening in cyberspace publicly could have negative consequences. Thus, he urged the committee to keep the discussion confidential to obtain full information without risking adverse effects.
Although the bank’s CEO and Managing Director Karl Stumke had no problem holding the meeting publicly, the majority of agencies and committee members opted to keep the proceedings secret. As a result, the chairman decided to proceed with the meeting in secrecy.
