The government has yet to settle outstanding payments to private businesses, multiple sources have told Adhadhu.
President Mohamed Muizzu held a meeting with owners of small and medium enterprises on December 17, 2025 and promised to settle the outstanding payments before Ramadan.
But some business owners told Adhadhu that the government has not paid a large portion of the pending payments.
"State-owned enterprises are not settling the payments, but some government ministries have been finalizing the payments," one person said.
Another businessman said he does not expect the government to be able to settle the bills before Ramadan begins on February 18.
"It doesn't seem like we will get the money before Ramadan. It's getting worse now. The pending payments are increasing," the man said on condition of anonymity.
Inconsistent promises and actions
In a post on social media X on October 2, 2025, Muizzu announced that all pending payments will be settled within five weeks. But he failed to fulfill the promise.
After realizing that the money cannot be issued within the deadline, Muizzu claimed that his post mentioned "starting" the payments within five weeks.
But his original post on X and his remarks during a gathering in Laamu Fonadhoo clearly indicate that he mentioned "completing" the payments within five weeks.
Plans to print money
The government has faced criticism for the delays in settling the bills, especially because of the high running costs with hundreds of political appointees.
It is understood that the pending payments to private companies now amount to billions of Rufiyaa.
There are allegations that the government plans to settle these bills by printing money through the Pension Office.
This is in direct contradiction to Muizzu's presidential pledge to revive the economy without printing money.
