The Criminal Court has sentenced an Indian man to a fine of MVR 12,000 and ordered the seizure of over a hundred thousand dollars and more than half a hundred thousand euros that he attempted to smuggle out of the Maldives. The state had charged the man with attempting to secretly export goods from the Maldives.
On the night of September 2nd at 21:30, as the man was going to Velana Airport to board a UL flight to Colombo, a large amount of foreign currency was detected in his duffle bag at the security checkpoint area before boarding, after he had completed check-in. Upon scanning and searching his duffle bag and backpack, 14 envelopes containing money wrapped in clothes were found in his duffle bag.
The envelopes found in his duffle bag contained $104,977.00, €31,585.00, 180 Francs, and 100 Dirhams. Additionally, seven envelopes containing money wrapped in clothes were found in his backpack, which contained $32,395.00 and €18,790.00. As he attempted to secretly export this money from the Maldives without declaring it to Customs, the state requested the court to order the seizure of the money by Customs. A plea agreement was signed between him and the Prosecutor General’s Office in this case. The case was processed as a summary hearing, and he was fined MVR 12,000. He was ordered to pay the fine to MIRA within two months.
The court also ordered the seizure by Customs of $137,372 and €50,373 found in the two bags, along with other currencies.
Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) has confirmed that the free canned fish distributed to households for Ramadan, as promised by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, will not be short of 40g of fish. The President announced that each household would receive a case of canned fish this Ramadan during a ceremony marking the government’s first anniversary. MIFCO assured today that the canned fish distributed for Ramadan will not be short of 40g of fish, stating that false information is being spread.
“140g cans were introduced to the market as a single-use item for small households. Refrigerating canned fish is not recommended,” MIFCO said today. MIFCO had previously stated that they had decided to give each household a case of 48 cans of fish. While the government has decided to give each household a case of canned fish, last year during Ramadan, the government also provided free food items to households, including rice and flour.
Speaking at the ceremony held last November to mark the government’s first anniversary, the President said that instead of staple foods, households will be given cases of canned fish for the upcoming Ramadan.
Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef has stated that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is always someone who gives room for constructive criticism. The Vice President said this in a post on X (formerly Twitter) in response to comments made by former Home Minister Umar Naseer.
Umar had said that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu should not think that the government will not be overthrown through street protests, and that while it is preferable to change the government through the ballot box rather than through a major revolution on the streets, if it comes to that, President Muizzu should not think that Maldivians will not do it. In response to Umar’s comments, the Vice President said that President Dr. Muizzu is always someone who gives room for constructive criticism, and that this is a quality that should be present in any leader or politician who comes forward to serve the country and its people.
“President Dr. Muizzu is always someone who gives room for constructive criticism. And that is a quality that should be present in any leader or politician who comes forward to serve the country and its people. However, it is a low act to mock the citizens by saying that Maldivians are uncivilized and far from democracy in the name of criticism,” said the Vice President.
State Minister of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Technology, Dr. Mohamed Kinaanath, has stated that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu will take the Maldives to another level in the digital field and make it a notable country in the world. Speaking about the official visit made by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to Estonia at the invitation of Estonian President Dr. Alar Karis, State Minister Dr. Kinaanath said that this trip was very successful and that Estonia’s journey to a digital environment is praiseworthy and should be considered as an example.
“It is important to establish an even better system in the Maldives. Increasing digital governance, e-services, cybersecurity measures, and strengthening digital capacity are necessary,” Kinaanath said.
State Minister Dr. Kinaanath said that strengthening the Maldives’ digital system is one of the highest priorities of President Dr. Muizzu’s government, and that no other president who has served in the Maldives has done so much work to advance the technology sector. Dr. Kinaanath also noted that all those working in the technology sector are now full of hope and said that we are ready to fully implement the President’s vision of a “Digital Maldives”.
“God willing, in the coming days under the leadership of Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, we will take the Maldives to another level in the digital field and make it a notable country in the world,” Kinaanath said.
During this presidential visit to Estonia, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Maldives and Estonia for cooperation in technological work. Minister of Home Affairs and Technology Ali Ihsan signed the agreement on behalf of the Maldives. Estonia’s Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta, signed the agreement on behalf of Estonia. This agreement is about cooperation in the fields of Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Technologies, and Cyber Security.
Digital transformation is a priority for the President. It is his promise to establish a digital economy and make the digital economy contribute 30 percent of the country’s productivity by 2030. This is an important component of his vision to make the Maldives a developed country by 2040.
The government is currently working on developing a Digital Transformation Roadmap Strategy. The government is also conducting an AI readiness assessment using UNESCO’s AI Readiness Tools and working on developing a National AI Master Plan.
The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) has stated that under the foreign currency regulations, tourism service providers are expected to convert between 30 million dollars (463 million rufiyaa) and 40 million dollars (617 million rufiyaa) to banks so far. MMA said that under the foreign currency regulations, based on the number of tourists who arrived last October, the final date to convert dollars is by the 28th of this month. Therefore, the authority has requested to complete the dollar conversion before that date.
Out of the 175 resorts operating in the Maldives, 138 resorts have so far submitted their October sales report to MMA, the authority also stated. While the Foreign Currency Act came into effect on January 1st of this year, MMA had formulated related regulations starting from last October. Therefore, under these regulations, dollars need to be converted per tourist for the last three months of the previous year.
According to the regulations, resorts need to convert 500 dollars per tourist. And guesthouses need to convert 25 dollars per tourist to banks. Under the Foreign Currency Act, starting from January, the option for resorts in “Category A” in dollar conversion is to either convert 500 dollars per tourist or 20 percent of the total monthly revenue in dollars.
For guesthouses under “Category B”, the law stipulates that they must convert either 25 dollars per tourist or 20 percent of their monthly revenue in dollars.
The 241 Committee (National Security Services Committee) has stated that the case of a cigarette shipment smuggled into the Maldives by sea is a major act of fraud carried out with planning. Regarding this case, Ahmed Nazim, the member for Dhiggaru constituency, said in the committee meeting held on Thursday that there are questionable aspects in some of the information shared by Customs, and therefore, further clarification of this information is needed.
He said that the case can only be concluded once these questions are answered. A case of smuggling 8,400 cartons or 84,000 packs of cigarettes on a private company’s oil tanker surfaced last October. It has been stated that there was no involvement of the company’s management in this case, and an internal investigation has also been initiated. Action has been taken against those involved in the case. While statements have been taken from the company’s crew regarding the case, the police are continuing their investigation.
In the committee meeting, Nazim said that according to the statement given to the committee by Customs, the cigarettes imported were fake. He also mentioned that when the original company importing that brand of cigarettes went to court, the items were kept in a bonded warehouse under a court order. He said that while this was done, it was also known that the shareholders of the company suspected of importing the cigarettes had been changed.
The company suspected of importing the cigarettes is called Exotic Enterprises.
“There’s a timeline sent by Customs. We notice that some information is missing from that timeline. There’s no date of when the shares were transferred. At a later date, Customs provided information that in the presence of [the new shareholders who later took over the company], the items were handed over to the shareholders,” he said. He added that the date of this occurrence is not known from the timeline, and it is also known that the company taken over by the new shareholders was billed 46 million rufiyaa. According to him, this was done with extensive planning.
“First, after importing the cigarettes and paying for them, when they were seized under a court order, the company’s shares were transferred. After transferring, the items in the bonded warehouse were sold illegally,” he said. He alleged that Customs only became aware of this when the 241 Committee of the Parliament informed them, and that this is a major criminal fraud. He said that further questions need to be asked from Customs to determine how this all started initially.
The committee decided today to investigate whether MACL (Maldives Airports Company Limited) had any involvement in the cigarette smuggling case and prepare a separate report, and to prepare another report on the financial transactions and the companies involved in it to be sent to the parliament floor. The committee also decided today to summon Home Minister Ali Ihsan, Police Commissioner Ali Shujau, and Customs Commissioner to obtain additional information needed for the case.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that with the cooperation of Maldivian citizens, the Maldives will become a country with fully digitalized services, where all important public services are digitalized within this term. In an interview given to state media after his historic trip to Estonia, the President said that he believes we must embrace the developments happening in the world. He added that we cannot go against the majority, and that Artificial Intelligence will play a very important role.
“Therefore, a master plan will be developed, and AI will play an important role in developing our country. Everything necessary for this will be carried out. This trip has helped us understand clearly how they are doing it in that country, how they are planning, and what has been planned,” the President said. Highlighting the success of this trip, the President stated that by visiting the most advanced country in this field, understanding how they are doing it, and receiving assurances of future assistance to the Maldives, a significant progress has been made towards achieving the goal of steering the country in the desired direction.
“God willing, in the coming days, especially within this year, we will transform all government services, all public sector matters, the education sector, the health sector, completely in the next three to four years to how we want it,” the President said. He also expressed confidence in the support of Maldivian citizens for this endeavor. The President affirmed that with the cooperation of Maldivian citizens, the goal of making the Maldives a country with fully digitalized services, where all important public services are digitalized, will be achieved within this term.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has returned to Male’ tonight after his historic trip to Estonia. The President departed for Estonia last Sunday-Monday, marking the first official visit by a Maldivian President to Estonia. The main purpose of this trip was to strengthen the relationship between the two countries and to discuss matters related to digital, cyber, and e-governance sectors, as well as climate and environmental issues.
The President stated that during this visit, which was at the invitation of Estonian President Dr. Alar Karis, productive meetings were held, and agreements were signed regarding digitalization, environment, and political consultations. Estonia is one of the most technologically advanced countries in Europe, having made significant progress in digital rankings.
This trip aimed to enhance bilateral relations and facilitate discussions on digital, cyber, and e-governance sectors, as well as climate and environmental issues between the two nations.
The Maldives has called upon global powers to support the sustainability of UNRWA, the UN agency working for Palestinian refugees’ rights, and to undertake effective efforts in rebuilding Gaza. The Maldives made this appeal during the third meeting of the ‘Global Alliance for the Implementation of Two-State Solution’ held in Norway. The Maldives was represented at this international alliance meeting, which advocates for a two-state solution, by Aishath Shaan Shakir, the Ambassador to Germany.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ambassador in her speech also called for providing the necessary resources and technical assistance to restore and rebuild Gaza. Furthermore, she urged the alliance member countries to stop Israel’s efforts to challenge and obstruct UNRWA’s work in the international arena.
Since early October 2023, Israel has been conducting mass attacks on Gaza, which both Israel and Hamas have agreed to halt. Gaza has suffered extensive damage. Essential resources such as water, food, housing, healthcare, and other facilities have been completely destroyed.
The Maldives has expressed interest in utilizing Estonia’s experience to strengthen e-governance and ICT infrastructure. This interest was expressed by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu during discussions held as part of his official visit to Estonia, in a courtesy call with Tõnis Saar, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs of Estonia.
During this meeting, the President shared his government’s vision of making the Maldives a digitally empowered nation and highlighted the ongoing efforts to prioritize digitalization in public services. The President noted that Estonia’s leading role in digitalization is internationally recognized and commended the country for this achievement. He also noted that Estonia’s innovative approaches are based on transparent, result-oriented, and reliable standards.
Furthermore, the President expressed interest in utilizing Estonia’s experience to strengthen e-governance and ICT infrastructure in the Maldives. He also emphasized the importance of aligning national development goals with areas such as enhancing cyber security, promoting digital literacy, strengthening the digital capabilities of local governments, and improving public service delivery to a dispersed population.
Following this meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs of Estonia and the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology of the Maldives.
