The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) mayoral primary candidate Ali Azim has said will go to court to seek damages for the lands leased at lower rates when President Mohamed Muizzu was the Mayor of Male'.
Speaking on Adhadhu's Etherefuh program, Azim said he will take the matter to court instead of filing a police complaint.
"Even today, the city council has the right to go to court to seek compensation for what Muizzu has done wrong. To seek compensation. They are not necessarily cases that should be filed with the police. The law states the city council can go directly to the court in civil matters," Azim said.
Azim said he would talk to the people who got the lands at a low price to resolve the issue. If the talks do not succeed, he would go to court and cancel the land agreements to seize the lands.
"I will talk to them to bring it to the market rate. If that doesn't work, I will go to court and cancel the contracts. I will hopefully disclose the agreements as needed," he said.
A team of lawyers will be formed within the first six months of being elected mayor to seek compensation for the damage caused to the city council, he said.
About 40 percent of the land leased in Male' was given during Muizzu's mayoral tenure. The list released by the city council in November 2025 shows that 63 of the 157 plots of land in the city council have been leased during Muizzu's tenure.
He also sold hundreds of parking spaces from the streets of Male'. However, the former Attorney General advised that it is illegal and the city council decided not to renew the agreements for parking spaces.
