MPL CEO Wajeeh dismissed

The government has dismissed Maldives Ports Limited’s (MPL) Managing Director Mohamed Wajeeh Ibrahim.

The Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB) – the watchdog authority of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) confirmed this termination via a post on X on Sunday evening.

PCB’s post on X confirmed Wajeeh has been terminated from his held positions as the company’s board and as its Managing Director, but did not provide any further information.

Wajeeh was appointed to helm MPL on November 23, 2023, not long after incumbent President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu assumed official duty as the country’s head of the state.

The MPL Managing Director’s dismissal is the latest in a series of stifling terminations of high-profile public positions as the current government’s first Minister of Tourism, Ibrahim Faisal, was removed from his position on Tuesday last week.

Faisal, who is the son of Parliament Speaker, Abdul Raheem Abdulla, had received confirmation of his dismissal though, he too, had not been provided with an answer on the reason for this.

On the other hand, Wajeeh is a known ally of Abdul Raheem as well.

Though Abdul Raheem had been instrumental in Dr. Muizzu’s ascension to presidency, and maintained strong alliance throughout the current regime so far, more recent speculations hint that the relations between the two leaders have soured more recently. This was further confirmed with Abdul Raheem’s attestation of the same during an interview to a local media.

Prior to his election as the Parliament Speaker, Abdul Raheem was the Special Advisor to the President and acted as the Chief Minister of the President’s Office.

The alliance of the two men can be traced back to the senate meeting of People’s National Congress (PNC), where Muizzu was fielded as a potential to run for presidency in the election.