The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is investigating allegations that MVK Maldives Pvt Ltd mortgaged public property for loans from the Bank of Ceylon (B0C) in 2009.
According to local media, the property mortgaged by the company, Maafanuaage, included a 12,000 square foot plot owned by the state.
Following MVK’s default of the loans worth MVR4.5 million and US$195,000, the BoC announced the sale of Maafanuaage last month.
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(0)Government-aligned Jumhooree Party (JP) and opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidates are campaigning together on the island of Gemanafushi in Gaaf Alif atoll for its five-member local council.
Three MDP candidates and two JP candidates have been campaigning on a joint platform ahead of next Saturday’s election.
JP Deputy Leader and Gemanafushi MP Ilham Ahmed claimed at a campaign rally last week that coalition partner Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) decided to field five candidates from the party despite an agreement within the ruling coalition for three PPM candidates and two JP candidates to contest.
He added that the JP was unable to resolve the issue through discussions with the PPM.
PPM MP Moosa Zameer meanwhile told local media yesterday (January 13) that the coalition partners were working on finding a solution to the impasse, which he stressed was a dispute between the candidates from Gemanafushi rather than the parties.
(0)Dislikes(0)Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Hussain Waheed will not be seeking re-election in the upcoming parliamentary elections in March.
The MP for Shaviyani Komandoo told local media yesterday that he decided to step aside for ADK Hospital Chairman Ahmed Nashid to contest the election on behalf of the party.
Waheed added that he would remain active in the MDP.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Civil Court yesterday (January 12) ruled in favour of the Malé City Council in a dispute involving hiking the lease for vendor carts in mid-2013 from MVR200 to MVR5,000 a month.
A cart owner, Yousuf Moosa of special registry number 1867, had asked the court to declare that the city council could not raise the rent or force venders to use a special kind of cart.
The council brought in new carts in June 2013. However, the Civil Court issued an injunction preventing the replacement of the old carts pending a ruling on Yousuf’s case.
In his judgment (Dhivehi), Chief Judge Ali Rasheed Hussain noted that the original lease agreement with Yousuf elapsed in August 2009, after which a rent of MVR200 had been mutually agreed upon between the parties.
As the plaintiff could lease the new cart under an agreement with the city council, the judge ruled that there were no legal grounds to declare that the council could not require a certain type of cart to be used or raise the rent to MVR5,000.
(0)Dislikes(0)The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is against the government’s plans to reintroduce the tourism bed tax and hike the Tourism Goods and Services Tax (T-GST) from eight to 12 percent, parliamentary group leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said.
“We won’t agree to double taxation in tourism industry,” he was quoted as saying by newspaper Haveeru.
Solih told local media that the MDP was also against raising import duties. A parliamentary group meeting will be held to decide the party’s stance on the government’s bills, he said.
An extraordinary sitting of parliament has meanwhile been scheduled for tomorrow – during the ongoing two-month recess – to debate government-sponsored legislation to raise the T-GST and amend the Tourism Act.
Amendments to the tourism law are intended to revive the discontinued flat US$8 bed tax and require resort lease extensions to be paid as a lump sum.
Following the Majlis’s failure to extend the tourism bed tax before the end of last year, Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad told local media that the resulting losses to state revenue would be MVR100 million a month.
Among other revenue raising measures proposed by the government include revising import duties, raising airport departure charge for foreign passengers from US$18 to US$25, leasing 12 islands for resort development, and introducing GST for telecommunication services.
In December, parliament passed a record MVR17.5 billion (US$1.16 billion) budget for 2014, prompting President Abdulla Yameen to call on the legislature to approve the revenue raising measures, which the government contends are necessary to finance development projects.
(2)Dislikes(1)Some 49 entrepreneurs have applied for the government’s MVR23 million (US$1.4 million) loan scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), local media reports.
An official from the Economic Development Ministry told the press yesterday (January 12) that the Bank of Maldives was currently processing application forms.
While loans are provided with a nine percent interest rate and a one-year grace period to be repaid within eight years, 40 percent of the total amount is reserved for companies, partnerships and cooperative societies with a majority stake owned by youth aged 18 to 25, and female entrepreneurs.
(0)Dislikes(0)President Abdulla Yameen appointed Mohamed Ibrahim Manik and Ahmed Munawar as ministers of state at the Finance Ministry yesterday (January 12).
“Mr. Ahmed Munawar has attained his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Finance, at the International Islamic University Malaysia; and his Master’s Degree in Economics and Finance, with a major in Monetary Economics, at the Macquarie University, Australia,” the President’s Office said in a statement.
“Mr. Ahmed Munawar has previously served at the Maldives Monetary Authority for over 10 years,” the statement added.
(0)Dislikes(0)Two men reported missing after going diving for sea-cucumbers have been found alive.
According to police, the two men aged 21 and 28 went diving near the surfing point in Baa Atoll, later being found 900 meters off Fendhoo island in Baa Atoll.
Police said that they were reported missing at noon but were found at around 2pm today.
The two were found by a speedboat belonging to Royal Island resort – Baa Atoll police are is further investigating the case.
(0)Dislikes(0)The court has released a man arrested after he allegedly threatened a police speedboat captain and crew who were conducting a special operation in the island of Fares-maathoda in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll.
Police alleged that the man told the boat captain that he would set fire to the boat.
According to the police, he was released under condition that he will not communicate with the speedboat captain or the crew.
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