Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s Parliamentary Group leader, Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik has, in a leaked audio clip, confirmed that it is the Saudi Royal family that is interested in purchasing land in the Maldives, but that they do not want to “publicize it.”
In the leaked audio, the Villimale MP explains why the change was brought to the Constitution to allow foreigners to buy land in the Maldives, as well as new details about the controversial Faafu Atoll deal.
The leaked audio comes at a time when reports of the possible sale of Faafu Atoll has caused public concern, while the government has mostly been silent on the matter. However, President Abdulla Yameen had said that Saudi government had shown interest in Faafu Atoll, and the investment is worth USD 10 billion.
MP Nihan, in the audio, indicated that the Faafu Atoll deal was negotiated in secrecy as the royal family did not want the public to know they were involved any of the work required to allow the sale. He also indicated that the amendment was brought to the Constitution to allow the royal family to purchase an island in Faafu Atoll.
- The amendment to the foreign ownership bill, allowing land ownership for foreigners who make investments exceeding USD one billion in the Maldives, was passed in July 2015.
Nihan says that if they had allowed it, they would have added the Saudi royal family’s name to the amendment to the foreign ownership bill, despite the fact that there were many other prospects, further indicating the point of the whole amendment was to sell land to the royal family.
“There are a lot of people.. a lot of people are interested..but we cannot give it to them..a Russian billionaire might want it immediately,” Nihan noted, adding that the Russians will have “dirtier money.”
With King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud to arrive in the Maldives on Saturday, as part of his Asian tour, public concern over the possible sale has been intensifying. On March 10, the Saudi Embassy released a statement saying that the Saudi government had no intention in buying land, island or an atoll in the Maldives.
According to the leaked audio clips, Nihan said that King Salman's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud is the one who is keen on purchasing land in the country. Prince Mohammad is also the Defence Minister of Saudi Arabia.
