President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has revealed that his recent trip to the UK was funded by a private company.
Speaking in his weekly podcast, Muizzu said the trip from April 1 to 5 was funded by a private company, but did not provide details.
"The government didn't spend much on this trip. Almost everything related to the trip was done through private sector sponsorship. President's Office has now disclosed the details. We spent around MVR 150,000 on this trip. That is the cost of my ticket. Tickets for everyone else, accommodation and overall everything else were arranged through private sector funding and sponsorship,” he said.
Muizzu travelled to the UK to launch a tourism promotion campaign with Liverpool Football Club. According to information from the President's Office, the government spent MVR 153,689 on the trip.
It is not clear how a private party funded the President's trip. The amount spent by the company and its relations with the government is also unclear.
The state has an obligation to spend on the President's official trips.
Article 16 (a) of the Prevention and Prohibition of Corruption Act states that "it is an offence for a government employee, or wife or husband of government employee to compel or request, any person who has requested something from the government, or who wishes to undertake government work or to work in partnership or in a joint venture with the government, to do their own personal work."
