Akram claims that the government has halted the Gulhi Falhu project through exerting undue influence on the courts in a bid to display the success of their RasMale' housing project.
Following yesterday's High Court interim order to halt the reclamation work on Gulhi Falhu, former administration's State Minister at Ministry of Insfrastructure Akram Kamaludeen has said that this would result in the government being obligated to pay approximately USD 300,000 daily to Boskalis - the company undertaking the Gulhi Falhu reclamation project.
The case was initially submitted to Civil Court last year by a private individual claiming that former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration was conducting the reclamation work of Gulhi Falhu in a manner that would cause harm to the environment. Although a halt order was sought at the time, Civil Court ruled then that such an order could not be issued.
However, the High Court issued an interim order yesterday instructing that all work related to the reclamation project be halted until the case is concluded in Civil Court.
The project was handed over to Netherland's Boskalis Company on October 17, 2019. The agreement is to reclaim 65 hectares of land for MVR 2 billion.
However, after assuming office, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has decided to extend the reclamation project by another 85 hectares, and add a second phase of 150 hectares. Reclamation work on this project is ongoing.
Akram alleged that the High Court's interim order had been issued today through the influence of the current administration.
He claims that the government has halted the Gulhi Falhu project through exerting undue influence on the courts in a bid to display the success of their RasMale' housing project.
Akram claims that if the work on Gulhi Falhu is halted through any fault or responsibility of the government, then the government will be bound to pay about USD 300,000 to the company daily.
"It is this government's incompetency that has caused this. If it will harm the government it cannot be stopped. But it has to be proved that it will cause loss to the government. They can't just put a stop to it overnight. The people at court did this under the influence of [President] Muizzu," he claimed.
"This is a big loss to the people. It is the citizen's money."
Akram claims that if a project such as this is being halted, the government must intervene. If not, he said, it appears as if it is being done with the complicity and influence of the government itself.
Attorney General Ahmed Usham said tonight that the halt of the Gulhi Falhu project would cause daily losses of millions to the State, and hence the State will appeal the High Court ruling at the Supreme Court.
"The Gulhi Falhu project is worth billions. About 80 percent of the reclamation work of Gulhi Falhu is already complete, every day the rest of the work is delayed will cause millions of loss to the State," Usham said.
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