Thinadhoo Council owed MVR 30 million in land rent; MP Saudhulla on list of non-payers

The Thinadhoo City Council is owed nearly MVR 30 million in land rent, including from a company owned by Saudhulla Hilmy, the parliamentary representative for North Thinadhoo constituency.

In an announcement shared via the Thinadhoo Council’s social media pages on Friday, the council said that as of June 30, it was owed MVR 29,954,660.45 in outstanding land rent and fines for land leased for industrial purposes.

The council said it has been sending SMSs on a bimonthly basis as well as letters notifying lease holders to settle the rent payments.

The council said they are now preparing to file court cases against lease holders who failed to settle the payment despite receiving the final notice.

The council publicized the identities of 50 lease holders who have outstanding rent payments. This includes Saudhulla’s business Swift Engineering, one of his party centers, as well as Maldive Gas.

According to the council, Swift Engineering owes MVR 89,695.89 in rent, while Saudhulla owes another MVR 433,155.10 as rent for his party center.

Meanwhile, state-owed Maldive Gas owes a staggering MVR 3,779,494.28 in outstanding rent. Meanwhile, real estate company Apollo Holding owes MVR 305,453.65, while telecom operator Dhiraagu owes MVR 55,341.

Maldive Gas – which owes the highest amount – is under investigation by the police for money laundering.

Meanwhile, the Thinadhoo Council itself is under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over an allegation of corruption against Mayor Saud Ali in the award of a contract to build a monument at the Thinadhoo’s harbor area. The council is also under investigation by the Local Government Authority (LGA) over multiple allegations of irregularities.

Saud, as well as his deputy Nasrulla Ali were suspended by the LGA back in June, in a case the mayor slammed as a “politically-motivated” witch hunt orchestrated by Saudhulla – an allegation that the lawmaker denies.