MVR 32M spent monthly on embassies; Malay hosts highest political appointees

The state spends an average of MVR 32 million each month on Maldivian diplomatic missions overseas, with the embassy in Malaysia staffing the highest number of political appointees, according to information shared by the Foreign Ministry.

In July, Sun filed a request under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, seeking details regarding the spending on embassies since the new Maldivian administration took office in 2023, the number of staff at the embassies, the number of political appointees, the monthly spending on them, and the overall spending.

The Foreign Ministry wrote back three months later on October 5, sharing information only on the spending on embassies and the number of staff for the four months from October 2024 to January 2025.

According to the information shared by the Foreign Ministry, the Maldives had total 21 diplomatic missions as of January 31.

• Total operational cost: MVR 21.66 million (monthly average of MVR 7.2 million)
• Total spending on payroll: MVR 74.28 million (monthly average of MVR 24.8 million)

The 21 missions staffed total 126 employees; 78 political appointees and 48 foreign service officers.

It is the embassy in Kuala Lumpur that staffed the highest number of political appointees, with 19 political appointees and just two foreign service officers.

The state spent over MVR 11 million on the embassy in the Malay capital in just four months, with MVR 1.07 million in operational costs and MVR 10.75 million on the payroll.

The second highest number of political appointees were staffed at the embassy in Colombo, with 16 political appointees and two foreign service officers.

The state spent over MVR 8 million on the embassy in the Sri Lankan capital in just four months, with MVR 1.5 million in operational costs and MVR 6.70 million on the payroll.

The third highest number of political appointees were staffed at the embassy in Bangkok, with eight political appointees and three foreign service officers.

The state spent nearly MVR 6 million on the embassy in the Thai capital in just four months, with MVR 524,287 in operational costs and MVR 5.97 million on the payroll.

The numbers come with embassies plagued with allegations of nepotism and cronyism throughout different Maldivian administrations.