Attorney General (AG) Ahmed Usham has said he does not believe there will be any losses from the agreement with Malaysian company Bestinet for a new expat system.
Appearing in the People's Majlis today, Usham said he does not believe the new agreement created with recommendations from relevant agencies will bring any losses to the government.
"I gave legal advice. The legal advice was to consult with the relevant government agencies before going forward," he said.
Usham said he believed Bestinet had been given some "exclusivity" under the new agreement. However, he did not elaborate.
He further said that the initial agreement with Bestinet, signed in 2016, was halted in 2018, and the government's failure to communicate about the agreement until 2023 can be seen as a breach of terms.
He added that the state was likely to have faced paying compensation if Bestinet had gone to court seeking damages.
Although the agreement signed during former President Abdulla Yameen's administration in 2016 was not implemented by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) government, the company did not seek any compensation.
Following President Mohamed Muizzu's decision to resume the agreement, the company will receive MVR 6.9 billion over 15 years.
The government earns MVR 6200 per foreign worker each year. That is MVR 2000 for the quota fee and a work permit fee of MVR 4200 at the rate of MVR 350 each month.
According to the agreement with Bestinet, the government will pay USD 100 or MVR 1542 to the company as the fees for each foreign worker every year. The employee will have to pay USD 50 (MVR 771) per person for medical insurance.
