The Government of Maldives on Tuesday reported that Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has filed case to recover MVR 4.5 billion owed to the State.

Speaking in a press conference in President’s Office on Tuesday, Tourism Minister Moosa Zameer said when recovered the MVR 4.5 billion will alleviate budgetary pressures.

As such, the Minister said 17 cases had been filed from the tourism sector. This includes cases against those parties that had violated settlement agreements and tax avoiders.

Both Minister Zameer and Attorney General Mohamed Anil stressed on the importance of state institutions to implement speedy measures to recover these amounts.

Anil added that due to improper record keeping, the full amount of what needs to be recovered and what had already been recovered was not clear. He said they were presently conducting a review of the record keeping process and documentation.

The present administration had also taken up the cases from the Maumoon administration, as confirmed by AG Anil.

The former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom had revoked the support he had given to the administration of his half-brother and incumbent President Abdullah Yameen. Both the former President and his son, Dhiggaru Constituency MP Ahmed Faris Maumoon, are key figures in the opposition movement against the current administration, with both calling to bring an end to the administration’s cruelty.

AG Anil said that 30 parties still have to pay back the loans taken from the President’s Office during the Maumoon administration.