Councillor Mohamed Saif Fathih has alleged that land and buildings were allocated to private individuals and some foreign parties without announcement and approval of the city council when President Mohamed Muizzu was the Mayor of Male',

Saif, the councillor for Galolhu North, told Adhadhu that Muizzu distributed high-value land without discussion or approval from the council after he was elected Mayor. He described it as a major crime.

"This is a big crime. We were raising the issue back then. We submitted it to the ACC [Anti-Corruption Commission]. But he continued to allocate land without any consideration," Saif said.

Galolhu North councillor Saif. -- Photo: Adhadhu

Saif said the council's regulations were amended with the support of councillors from the now-abolished Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People's National Congress (PNC) to prevent such transactions without the council's approval.

"The change was brought on June 14, 2023. Even after that, lands have been allocated. Those lands have no legal validity," he maintained.

According to the list of leased land publicised by the council on Thursday, 19 plots of land have been allocated since June 14, 2023. Ten of the plots were allocated between the first and second rounds of the presidential election.

The first round of the presidential election was held on September 9, 2023, while the second round was held later that month.

The list shows that lands in the Carnival Area were leased just two days before the final round of voting, after taking MVR 300,000 or MVR 500,000 for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). But the council did not disclose how the money was used.

The land plots in the Carnival Area were leased for 20 years at a deflated price, many times cheaper than the actual price of land and buildings in Male'. The agreements were signed on September 27 and 28, 2023. The second round of voting was on September 30, 2023.