'Definitely a lie, prove it', Mayor Azim rebuts Saif's allegations

Male' City Mayor Adam Azim has denied claims by North Galolhu Councillor Mohamed Saif Fathih that MVR 4 million was disbursed for undelivered trees during the current Male' City Council term.

Speaking on SSTV's Baaru Hathareh programme, Councillor Saif asserted that the council had received bills for trees allegedly sold by a company to the city council's tree shop, for which payment was not made. He cited a bill amounting to MVR 4 million.

"However, I cannot believe that the company actually delivered MVR 4 million worth of trees to the Male' City Council. There is no delivery note, no inventory, no bill of receipt, nothing regarding what happened to the trees," Saif stated.

He further elaborated that he had formally noted the issue and submitted it in writing to Mayor Azim in a comprehensive letter.

"I am informed that they have now been paid the money in other ways through some other arrangement," Saif added.

Following Saif's public sharing of these allegations on social media, Mayor Azim promptly responded, denying the claim.

@sstvmv asks if @MaleCitymv Mayor @adamazim is "compromised". I can’t answer that, but here’s what stands out:

1) Money released for old bills of Gas Fihaara despite objections and concerns of fraud.

2) Lawyer accused of altering fish market contract still in post; no… pic.twitter.com/4XX4sRLduL

— Saif Fathih (@aekofathih) September 30, 2025

"Definitely a lie, prove it, reveal the document!" Azim wrote first in his list of responses for the allegations, demanding evidence for the accusation.

Saif also highlighted other internal issues within the council, including the continued freedom of the council's legal head, Ali Naseer Gasim, despite allegedly illegally awarding the construction of the fish market at an inflated price for a second time, and without proper documentation.

Saif accused the mayor of "twisting" the entire bid process by dissolving the council's civil servants bid committee.

"Therefore, because of the consensus between these four things, I cannot say with reason that he is acting in the best way, he is acting in a way that facilitates corruption, that is not what he said when he became mayor," Saif remarked.

He urged councillors to prioritize addressing issues in Male' city and improving council policies.

Meanwhile, Saif criticized PNC councillors for their perceived silence on issues affecting Male' residents.

"The PNC members are not even talking about the issue of land in the city, the issue of roads in the city, the issue of flats in the city," he noted.

Mayor Azim himself had previously raised concerns about the high price of the fish market lease.

In response to Saif's allegations, Mayor Azim stated that the civil service had been requested to take action against the lawyer (Ali Naseer Gasim) involved in the fish market case, given his status as a civil servant.

Additionally, in his responsen Azim also highlighted the completion of the land registry within one year, noting how it was a task that had been neglected for 15 years.

"This will be on the agenda for the council's official general meeting on Wednesday. Saif will also have received the agenda," Azim explained.

It is noteworthy that all three sessions of the PNC-majority council were previously canceled due to a lack of quorum following the fish market case.

The original USD 6.1 million contract for the fish market project was initially awarded through a competitive bidding process during President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s tenure as city mayor. However, during the transitional period between President Muizzu’s 2023 presidential election victory and his inauguration, and prior to incumbent Mayor Adam Azim's January 2024 by-election win, the city council cancelled the original contract. Subsequently, the project was awarded to a new party for a significantly higher price of USD 9.6 million.

During a meeting on August 20, Mayor Azim stated that Naseer failed to provide an explanation for the formation of a new contract or the USD 3.5 million inflation of the contract value, despite repeated inquiries.