The lagoon of Noonu Vihafaru among the islands and lagoons designated by the government for new airports is under lease as part of a resort development deal, Adhadhu has learned.
Vihafaru was among nine locations chosen for airport development and included among projects to be carried out under an economic policy for achieving the state’s general welfare.
However, the lagoon had been handed over for the seaplane operations of a resort to be developed on Noonu Raafushi, an island that was leased amid the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption scandal. Vihafaru was included as part of the Raafushi lease agreement.
The President first pledged to develop an airport in Vihafaru during a campaign rally in Noonu Velidhoo.
Vihafaru had been “handed over to a party in relation to an airport project,” the President said at the time. The government will try to take back the lagoon through legal means and it would be “saved” if the effort was successful, he added.
However, it is unclear whether the government made any effort to take back the island before the decision to develop an airport on Vihafaru was made through a presidential decree.
Noonu Velidhoo, Noonu atoll’s most populous island, between Vihafaru and Raafushi. — Photo: Google Earth
Raafushi was first leased for USD 5 million to Ace Resorts, a company with a stake owned by Sri Lanka’s Aitken Spence. The Vihafaru lagoon was provided as part of the deal without any revenue to the state, according to the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) report on the MMRPC theft.
Ace Resorts later sold the island without carrying out any work on developing a resort. Ace sold all leaseholder rights related to the island to Leisure Sands Pvt Ltd, a company owned by Singapore’s Hotels Property Ltd (HPL).
HPL, which currently operates several high-end resorts in the Maldives, is owned by Singaporean billionaire Ong Beng Seng. Resorts operated by his company include the Four Seasons and Six Senses properties.
Ong was named as a beneficiary of the MMPRC corruption scandal by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The OCCPR report had been compiled based on information gathered from the phone of Ahmed Adeeb, who was the Tourism Minister and Vice President when the embezzlement scheme was carried out.
Adhadhu understands that the government tried to remove Vihafaru from the Raafushi agreement when Ace sold the island. However, the effort was unsuccessful.
The Maldives government would have to compensate Leisure Sands if an airport is to be developed in Vihafaru. This is because HPL has a right to the lagoon under the existing Raafushi lease agreement.
