President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that he has decided to submit amendments related to fulfilling his promise to the Women’s Development Committee (WDC) as soon as the Parliament sessions begin. Speaking at a meeting with the people of Gd. Vaadhoo, the President said that within the first week of the Parliament opening, he will submit the necessary amendments to fulfill his promises to the Women’s Development Committees.

“This includes amendments to the Employment Act and the Decentralization Act, giving salary status to the current allowance. As an allowance, it doesn’t currently provide Ramadan benefits, can’t be used to obtain a bank loan, doesn’t apply for maternity leave, none of these things are possible,” the President said. He mentioned that during his meetings with Women’s Development Committees over the past year, when they requested these matters to be addressed, he promised to do so.

The President said that with these amendments, starting from the upcoming Ramadan, they will receive Ramadan benefits every Ramadan, and the allowance will be legally changed to have the status of a salary like other employees receive. “This doesn’t mean they have to work full-time in any way, they will continue to work as they do now, but these benefits will be made available,” the President said.

He also acknowledged that women are the most active in working for the development of their islands in every island, and this is a recognition of that fact.

The Maldives Customs Service has confirmed that no officer involved in an ongoing investigation into allegations of money laundering, embezzlement, and bribery against several of its employees has retired. It has been noted that 400 million rufiyaa have circulated through the accounts of three Customs employees. Following the emergence of this case, the police stated that they are investigating the matter.

“Following the police’s attention to a case of suspected money laundering, embezzlement, and bribery by Maldives Customs Service employees, the investigation was initiated by the Maldives Police Service on August 19, 2024,” the police said. Customs today said that they have been informed that the police are conducting an investigation into money laundering, embezzlement, and bribery allegations against some Customs officers.

“And we inform you that none of the officers included in the investigation, as informed by the Maldives Police Service, have been retired from this service,” Customs said. It is understood that the Parliament’s 241 Committee is also conducting a separate investigation into this matter. It is believed that the committee has questioned senior officials from relevant government agencies regarding this issue.

The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Ahmed Nazim, has stated that they cannot rely on uniformed institutions. He also said that once the cases being investigated by the 241 Committee are concluded, solutions will be proposed for issues such as drug-related matters as well.

The Maldives Qualification Authority (MQA) has requested to collect validated certificates that have not been picked up. In a statement released today by MQA, it was noted that among the certificates validated by the Authority upon submission by various parties, many previously validated certificates remain uncollected by their owners.

The authority stated that they request the owners to collect certificates validated before December 31, 2022, by July 31, 2025. Additionally, the statement mentioned that certificates not collected within this period will be filed. MQA said that after July 31, 2025, if a certificate from that date is needed, it will only be available after submitting a new application and going through the validation process again.

Furthermore, the Maldives Qualification Authority has also requested to collect as soon as possible the certificates that were validated in the past two years, 2023 and 2024, which have not been collected by their owners.

The wife of the Governor of Western Australia, Honorable Chris Dawson, Mrs. Rilin Dawson, has paid a courtesy call on the First Lady, Madam Sajida Mohamed. The First Lady welcomed Mrs. Dawson and wished the Governor Dawson and her a pleasant stay in the Maldives. She appreciated the close relationship between the Maldives and Australia and the mutual support between the two countries.

During this meeting, the First Lady and the Governor’s wife discussed the achievements and progress made in the educational field in both countries. They also deliberated on further advancing the education sector, opportunities for learning for children and girls, and the importance of inclusive education. Additionally, they talked about the increasing number of Maldivian students pursuing higher education in Australia and the Australia Awards scholarships.

During this meeting, Mrs. Dawson commended Madam Sajida’s role in the health sector, praising the work she has been carrying out.

Foreign Minister Dr. Abdulla Khaleel met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, yesterday. Following this meeting, a post was made in Dhivehi language on the official X account of the UAE Foreign Minister. The post stated that Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed welcomed the Maldivian Foreign Minister, discussed the relationship between the two countries, and talked about additional areas for collaboration between the two nations.

During this meeting, Minister Dr. Khaleel conveyed congratulations from President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He also expressed gratitude for the assistance that the UAE continues to provide for the development and progress of the Maldives. The Foreign Ministry said that during this meeting, the two officials discussed further strengthening the relationship between the two countries. They also assured that they would work to identify priority areas for both countries and cooperate in advancing these matters, as well as further strengthen the long-standing relationship between the Maldives and the UAE.

During this meeting, Minister Dr. Khaleel shared information about the Maldives’ fiscal reform agenda and important development projects. He also expressed special thanks for the valuable assistance provided to the Maldives through the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), particularly for the assistance given to the Velana International Airport expansion project.

The President, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, has stated that this year will be the year to systematically work on practically fulfilling the promises made to the islands and those included in the manifesto. He said this while speaking at a meeting with the people of Hoandehdhoo today. Speaking at this meeting, the President said that he will find a permanent solution to the issues of coastal erosion and flooding faced by Hoandehdhoo within this year’s budget. He also said that work will be done to improve the education and health sectors, as well as establish various sports facilities.

Highlighting that the government is working to facilitate income generation for councils, the President said that work will be done to arrange integrated tourism operations on nearby uninhabited islands to generate income for the councils. During this meeting, the President assured that he will work with full attention to bring solutions to various issues of Hoandehdhoo. In this regard, he noted that among this year’s PSIP projects, priority will be given to housing, education, and then road development, stating that he will fulfill the promise of road development in Hoandehdhoo this year and next year.

Noting that this year’s budget is for initiating housing projects, the President said that housing projects promised to the islands will also be carried out this year. As such, he said that Hoandehdhoo’s housing project will also be carried out. Speaking at this meeting, the President said that all the promises he made are promises he intends to fulfill.

During today’s meeting with the people of Hoandehdhoo, the President officially inaugurated the island’s water and sewerage system project. Additionally, the signing of an agreement for Bank of Maldives to install an ATM in Hoandehdhoo also took place today.

The national airline of Maldives, Maldivian, is set to begin long-haul flights. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the second Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft acquired by Maldivian will start operations in October this year. Speaking at the ceremony marking the commencement of operations for Maldivian’s first wide-body aircraft at Velana International Airport, the President stated that today is a very colorful and historic day in the aviation history of Maldives.

“This is a decision made during the discussions and planning of our country’s future vision while preparing our manifesto for the presidential election. To expand the tourism sector manifold, we needed to increase the capacity of our national airline. Thus, we decided to introduce wide-body aircraft capable of long-haul flights,” the President said.

He mentioned that he had promised to bring two wide-body aircraft to expand operations, and today, as the first aircraft arrives in the Maldives, that joy is being realized. The President stated that this would bring significant progress to the tourism industry in the coming months.

“This is just the beginning. Although the first aircraft arrived today, I can assure you that the second aircraft will begin operations in October this year,” the President said.

The President explained that with the collaborative efforts of the Finance Ministry, Island Aviation, and the Transport Ministry, all stages will be completed, and the aircraft will be ready for operations by October. He added that while today’s flights will reach destinations in China, in the future, tourists will be brought from even more destinations.

“The progress we gain from this is a significant advancement in our efforts to grow and expand our economy. It’s a major step forward in having our own flights, in Maldivian hands, to bring tourists to our country,” he stated.

The President said that this would advance the aviation industry. He also mentioned that in the coming days, both Island Aviation and MACL (Maldives Airports Company Limited) would see further progress, with many milestones to be achieved within this year.

The Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Captain Mohamed Ameen, has stated that Island Aviation, which operated the national airline, was in debt of two billion rufiyaa by the end of the previous government’s term.

Speaking at a ceremony held today to welcome Maldivian’s new wide-body aircraft, the Minister said that Island Aviation is a 100% state-owned company established in 2000 with a paid-up capital of four million rufiyaa. He noted that by the end of 2018, the company’s asset value was 2.8 billion rufiyaa, and it had earned revenue of about 2 billion rufiyaa that year.

The Minister stated, “The company’s net profit in 2018 was 89 million rufiyaa.” He also highlighted that until the end of 2018, the company was progressing well, paying dividends to the state.

“However, the reality is that by the end of 2023, in just five years, the company is in debt of over 2 billion. This is the truth. …The Male-Chennai-Dhaka, Dhaka-Chennai-Male sector that Maldivian had been operating since 2012 has been suspended. Many seaplane contracts have been lost by the company. The China operations that started in 2013, which were conducted via Bangkok, have also been halted,” the Minister said.

Captain Ameen mentioned that although significant expenses were incurred to recondition the only A321 aircraft the company had in 2022, that aircraft has also been “abandoned”. He also stated that out of the Dash 8 aircraft the company was using, four have been “abandoned” to an unusable state due to continuous removal of spare parts.

“We are now working to recover the millions in credits given without scrutiny to closely associated parties and credits issued by the company without any principle. The result of Island Aviation, which was progressing in the right direction, falling into the hands of those who couldn’t manage it, is the neglect of the company’s assets, the loss of many important business ventures, and the company being in debt of several billion rufiyaa,” the Minister said. He added that with the changes brought to Maldivian’s operations and management system by the current government, they expect to “recover” and improve the company’s performance. The Minister also noted that the government’s vision is to expand wide-body aircraft operations to additional destinations.

A contract has been signed today, entrusting the construction of roads and establishment of municipal infrastructure in Gulhifalhu to a Chinese company, China Machinery Engineering Company (CMEC).

The agreement for this project was signed at a ceremony held at the President’s Office. On behalf of the government, the agreement was signed by the Minister of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure, Dr. Abdullah Muttalib. CMEC was represented by their Regional General Manager, Shen Hao Jun. Minister Muttalib stated that this project is a result of the work done under an MOU signed between CMEC and the Housing Ministry during President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s visit to China.

The main works to be carried out under this project include:

1. Establishing an electricity distribution network
2. Setting up water and sewerage systems
3. Installing a dewatering system
4. Constructing roads to modern standards
5. Establishing a GPON ducting system
6. Setting up gas storage and distribution systems

Minister Muttalib said that with the signing of this agreement, the contractor will begin survey work and detailed drawing. He also mentioned that although there are some difficulties due to a large area of Gulhifalhu being allocated for the Thilafushi Bridge project, they have agreed to proceed with the work in phases. This project is expected to significantly boost the urban development of Gulhifalhu and improve the living standards in the area. It is also anticipated that this project will pave the way for additional businesses and investments in Gulhifalhu.

A case has emerged where 400 million rufiyaa circulated through the accounts of some Customs officers, and an investigation has been initiated. In this case, it is suspected that acts of bribery have been carried out in the collection of import duties. According to information received, the investigation is currently focused on three Customs officers. However, some media outlets have reported that about 20 Customs officers are involved in this case.

Some matters related to this case have been submitted to the Parliament’s 241 Committee, and it has been reported by the media that the committee has held closed-door meetings and questioned some senior officials from relevant government agencies. The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Ahmed Nazim, has stated that we cannot rely on uniformed institutions anymore. He also said that when the cases being investigated by the 241 Committee are concluded, solutions will be proposed for issues such as drug-related matters as well.

This case has increased suspicions about Customs employees in the importation of various goods into the country.