Areesh rebuts allegations of illegal land allocation during President Muizzu’s mayoral term

Malé City Deputy Mayor Mohamed Areesh has strongly defended President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s tenure as Mayor of Malé, stating that no city lands were sold or illegally leased during his two-and-a-half-year term. 

Areesh’s comments were a direct response to Ali Azim, the former MP for Central Henveiru and a candidate for the opposition MDP mayoral ticket, who recently alleged that land was handed out at "undervalued prices" under Muizzu’s leadership. Azim had claimed he would seek legal compensation for the losses incurred from these deals, which he characterized as deceptive.

In a post on X, Areesh dismissed Azim’s claims as "baseless lies" and argued that the legal threats were a desperate political tactic from someone struggling to accept the reality of the council’s progress. 

"During the approximately two years and six months that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu served as the Mayor of Malé City, not a single piece of land was sold to anyone. Furthermore, there is no land that was leased illegally," Areesh stated.

He criticized the opposition’s approach, suggesting that they aim to run the Malé City Council like a "litigious gang" that constantly resorts to court cases and intimidation rather than public service. 

"Local councils are not institutions legally created to harass or challenge the sitting government. They are entities meant to work in coordination with the government to provide the municipal services and urban development that the citizens require," Areesh stated.

Areesh further characterized Ali Azim’s campaign as an attempt to turn the capital into a "political branch" of a single party dedicated to protests and hijacking the judicial system. 

He warned that such a strategy would not gain public support and urged mayoral candidates to focus on constructive plans. 

"Talk about plans for housing and ease of living, and talk about how the city’s affairs are planned to be managed by seeking the views and consultations of the people," he stated in a post on X.