Adhadhu has learned that the news and photos released by the President’s Office claiming that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu met with a Saudi royal family member were taken down at the behest of the Saudi government.
Fahad Saud Al Shalan came to the Maldives to attend the inauguration and groundbreaking ceremony of the Maldives International Financial Centre (MIFC) commissioned by a Qatari company.
At the time, news websites highlighted that Al Shalan is not a Saudi prince.
Some credible sources told Adhadhu that the Saudi embassy had shared its concerns with the Maldivian government over the official documentation of a person who is not a member of the royal family.
A senior official with knowledge of the matter told Adhadhu that the Saudi government was very upset about the government's claim that Al Shalan is a Saudi prince. The Saudi government also protested because the error had not been corrected and because the Maldives' government had not apologised.
"The Saudi government officially instructed to take down everything related to it, including news and photos," the official spoke on condition of anonymity.
The news of the fake Saudi prince's planned visit to the Maldives was kept secret by the Maldives' government. Communications about the arrival of the fake prince were conducted through secret letters. Reports say two cabinet ministers were involved in bringing the fake prince to the country.
The reference number for the article on the President's Office website about Muizzu's meeting with the fake prince is Ref:2025-405. However, the President's Office website no longer shows an article with that reference number.
The story about the meeting with the fake prince had the article number 33647. The articles numbered 33646 and 33648 are still accessible on the website. This proves that article 33647 was deleted. The reference number for article 33646 is Ref:2025-404 while the reference number for article 33648 is Ref:2025-406.
