MP for Dhiggaru Constituency and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Ahmed Nazim, says the culprits behind the theft of more than 13.6 million cigarettes that were being stored in the MPL warehouse in Hulhumale; have gambled the money and lost it.
Nazim was speaking to the bill to make gambling and running such a place a criminal offense punishable by more than one year in jail.
Nazim said the bill will play an important role in bringing about the necessary changes in the laws as society is evolving.
Noting that gambling is very widespread in the Maldives, Nazim said the recent thefts show that. MP Nazim pointed out that the culprits of the most recent mega theft, the theft of millions of cigarettes, had tried to make a profit from the money they stole by gambling the funds and have now lost it.
Nazim said the gamblers had also formed separate companies to deposit the profits into their accounts.
In addition to gambling, the bill also proposes to address the issue of scams. Nazim said the bill should clearly define what a scam is, the definition of a scammer, and the penalties for those who will be punished.
He added that such a law would ensure that scammers would get the right punishment.
