Defense Minister Ghassan Maumoon has refused to disclose details at the Parliament floor about a drone purchase agreement with Türkiye, insisting that he would only reveal the information at a secret meeting of the 241 Committee.
He made the statement after he was summoned to Parliament today to respond to a question from Henveiru Hulhagu MP Hassan Latheef seeking details of the drone purchase agreement. In his question, the MP asked for details such as number of drones and the price.
However, the minister said he could not reveal the details at the Majlis floor. The agreements were made in line with processes laid out in laws and regulations for ensuring transparency and all the documents needed by investigative authorities would be available, he said.
But no country would reveal details of defense expenditure "at such a forum," he said, declining to disclose the information at the Parliament floor.
"We could reveal this information at a secret meeting of the 241 committee," Ghassan said.
The Turkish drones were unveiled for the first time during a special function in Noonu Maafaru on March 15 by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
Regarding the drone purchase agreement, Adhadhu previously reported, citing credible sources, that the deal was worth USD 37 million (MVR 570 million). The government purchased Bayraktar TB2 drones manufactured by Türkiye's Baykar company.
However, speaking at the ceremony held to unveil the drones, President Muizzu said most of the drones were donated as grant aid by the Türkiye government.
"Less than two weeks after the people decided to hand over the responsibility to me, he [Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] invited me to visit the country and welcomed me warmly. The reason this became a reality today is the attention he gave to this," Muizzu said.
The defense minister also told Parliament today that some of the drones were provided for free.
"The Maldivian state also spent on these UAVs obtained to improve the capacity of the Maldivian military and we also got equipment for free as well," Ghassan said in response to a question from Medhu Henveiru MP Ali Azim during the questioning session.
The government has so far refused to disclose any information about the transaction. The Defense Ministry declined to provide details when Adhadhu requested information under the Right to Information Act.
The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) alleged "stunning" corruption in the transaction for purchasing drones from Türkiye and sought a parliamentary inquiry into the matter.
Speaking at a press conference, MDP Spokesperson MP Ahmed Easa said the party supported efforts to improve the capacity of the Maldivian military. But the public should know details of expenditure from taxpayer money, he said.
