President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has brought Mathiveri Finolhu under Alif Alif Mathiveri and Gaaerifaru under Lhaviyani Hinnavaru.
The uninhabited islands were placed under the jurisdiction of the Mathiveri and Hinnavaru island councils in a presidential decree issued on Wednesday.
Mathiveri Finolhu
Mathiveri Finolhu is a small island near Mathiveri. The people of Mathiveri have been appealing for the island to be brought under the council for use as a picnic island.
President Solih pledged to do so during a campaign trip to the island two weeks ago.
Mathiveri Finolhu was leased as part of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption scandal. The island was first leased to a company called International Travel Consultancies, which had two foreign shareholders at the time.
The company's present owner is Kaashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir, who bought the shares and announced plans to develop a 100-bed resort. But the government took back the island and gave a lagoon near Male' Atoll Gaafaru as compensation.
Gaaerifaru
Gaaerifaru is a three-hectare island near Hinnavaru.
The island was leased for mariculture and aquaculture in 2016 to a company called Ocean Courtier Properties Ltd for 21 years. It is unclear if the lease agreement has been terminated.
Uninhabited islands have previously been brought under council authority in line with the government's decentralization policy.
Hinnavaru and Gaaerifaru.
