Housing Minister Abdulla Muththalib and Attorney General (AG) Ahmed Usham, key figures in the sale of the Rasmalé project to Mohamed Alabbar—a UAE businessman with close ties to Israel and Zionist interests—departed for Malaysia last night.
Adhadhu has confirmed their travel to Malaysia; however, neither of their offices has issued a comment regarding the trip.
Muththalib signed the commercial terms agreement to sell Rasmalé to Eagle Hills. The signing took place in Dubai, outside the jurisdiction of the Maldivian Constitution.
Following the submission of the Rasmalé project to the Cabinet, AG Usham provided legal counsel to the government. He previously noted that since Maldivian laws do not permit the project to proceed in its current form, new legislation would be drafted to facilitate it.
"The [legal advice] outlines necessary changes to the agreement. There is nothing inherently unconstitutional in the agreement itself... but there are many details. Naturally, when providing advice on such an agreement, numerous points require adjustment," Usham said.
While the government maintains that Rasmalé is being leased for 99 years, Alabbar’s company, Eagle Hills, has said that if the property is sold before the initial 99-year lease expires, a new 99-year lease term will commence.
The commercial terms to sell 500 hectares of Rasmalé—an area currently being reclaimed at Fushidhiggaru lagoon using state funds—were signed on September 21. The government aims to sign the definitive agreement on November 11, coinciding with the Maldives' Republic Day.
The government’s deal to sell Rasmalé comes despite President Mohamed Muizzu’s pledge that not a single grain of sand from the site would be leased or given to foreigners, even for a single day.
"Every grain of sand reclaimed there [Rasmalé] is a grain of sand owned by the Maldivian people. It is not land that will be leased or given for free to any foreign party for even one day," he said.
