President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has revealed that he hired Al Jazeera's Sami Zeidan, who interviewed him after the presidential election, for consultancy services.
Sami, a presenter for Al Jazeera English, interviewed Muizzu on October 14, 2023, on the Talk to Al Jazeera show before Muizzu was sworn in as the president.
At a press conference at the President's Office on Saturday, Muizzu said Sami provided consultancy ahead of his address at the UN General Assembly last year.
"[Sami Zeidan] provided some consultancy before I delivered my speech, on principles to follow in presenting or presentation skills," Muizzu said in response to a question from Adhadhu.
Adhadhu also understands that Sami provided training to some employees of the Foreign Ministry. When questioned, Muizzu said he was not aware of it.
Al Jazeera covered Muizzu's address to the UN General Assembly on September 4, 2024, where he condemned the closure of Al Jazeera's offices in Israel and the West Bank.
In the past, there had been speculations about close links between Sami and former President Abdulla Yameen. There were accusations that the government tried to paint a good image by disseminating news through him.
It is against Al Jazeera's Code of Ethics to work for governments, especially for Heads of State. The fact that Sami had previously interviewed Muizzu raises even more questions.
Article 1 of Al Jazeera's Code of Ethics states that they must "adhere to the journalistic values of honesty, courage, fairness, balance, independence, credibility and diversity, giving no priority to commercial or political over professional consideration."
Sami is a presenter for Al Jazeera English. In addition to daily news shows, he hosts Inside Story and Talk to Al Jazeera and also presents the Essential Middle East program.
