President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said he did not meet the then Deputy Speaker Dhiggaru MP Ahmed Nazim during his visit to Singapore and that it was purely a family holiday.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, President Muizzu said claims that he travelled to Singapore to meet Nazim were “another level of lies”.

He said his visit had been a pre-planned family holiday and that he spent the entire trip with his family.

“I went to Singapore on vacation, to spend some time with my family. I spent all my time on it. I have nothing to talk about, nothing to discuss, or negotiate with Nazim,” he said.

The President said there were multiple witnesses to the nature of his visit, including Maldivian officials and staff based in Singapore, such as the High Commissioner of Maldives to Singapore, employees at the Maldivian High Commission and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) staff.

His remarks come amid opposition-linked speculation that he had met Nazim during the trip following political tensions linked to moves to remove him as Deputy Speaker.

Nazim resigned from his position after a no-confidence motion was submitted by members of the PNC parliamentary group yesterday. Therefore, Eydhafushi MP Ahmed Saleem was elected as the new Deputy Speaker during today's Parliament sitting.

President Muizzu also denied claims that he was involved in efforts to initiate a no-confidence motion against Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef, calling the allegations false.