President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has refused to disclose the name of the private company that paid for his trip to the UK.
Muizzu travelled to the UK from April 1 to April 5. He was accompanied by a large government delegation.
According to the President's Office, the government spent only MVR 153,689 on the trip. The rest was funded by a private company.
At a press conference on May 3, Muizzu declined to name the company when questioned by Adhadhu.
“They [the company] don't want to share that information,” he said.
The Finance Ministry had also declined to disclose details of the private company that paid for the trip.
Adhadhu submitted a Right to Information (RTI) request, but the President's Office also refused to disclose the information.
In an episode of his weekly podcast on April 10, Muizzu revealed that a private company funded his trip. But he did not name the company.
"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.
He was accompanied by Tourism Minister Thoriq Ibrahim, Sports Minister Abdulla Rifau, Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) Managing Director Ibrahim Shiury and several senior officials.
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 are also unclear.
