Male' City Council to reconsider fish market lease

Male' City Council has raised questions over the lease of the fish market, after finding discrepancies between the council’s bid committee decision and the final contract.

The market was awarded to FJ Design, but mayor Adam Azim told a general meeting last week that while the council had initially agreed to extend the lease for another year, a review uncovered serious issues.

According to Azim, the bid committee had set the lease at MVR 130,000 a month, but the signed agreement fixed it at MVR 70,000.

He also noted outstanding electricity bills of MVR437,926.

"There are conflicts in the existing contract and the best option seems to be to re-conduct it,” he said.

Councilor Saif Fathih supported the motion, saying such discrepancies violated the Finance Act and regulations. He added that unpaid utility bills of around MVR400,000 were unacceptable.

The council will revisit the matter at its next meeting after obtaining additional documentation, Azim said.