Government meets IFC to determine how airport was awarded to GMR

The government has held a meeting with International Finance Corporation (IFC), the group which evaluated the bid to award Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) to GMR, to discuss this matter.

IFC’s guidance was followed in all procedures related to privatizing INIA.

Sun Online has received information from a reliable source that the meeting took place last week.

A government official said on the condition of anonymity that the meeting was attended by IFC Country Manager and four senior officials of their technical team who were involved in the bid evaluation process.

He said that the government’s stand is to obtain the Airport Development Charge (ADC) from GMR, which they had deducted from the concession fee paid to the government.

Meanwhile, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has requested the state to obtain the deducted amount, which exceeds $8m, from GMR by taking the matter to court.

Senior officials of GMR have held discussions with President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik on previous occasions as well.

The government has also set up a committee to resolve the issues with GMR through dialogue. The committee is made up of Finance Minister Abdullah Jihad, Attorney General Aisha Azima Shakoor, and Chairman of MACL Mohamed Saeed.

Attempts to contact Azima Shakoor to obtain information on this matter have so far not been successful.

INIA was awarded to GMR for 25 years in 2009, four months earlier than what is stated in the agreement, following a request by former President Nasheed’s government. Sun Online has been informed that the first payment of $78m was made rather hurriedly and four months earlier than what is stated in the agreement, following a request by former President Nasheed’s government.