Opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has yet to repay the state funds it borrowed to elect their candidates in the last parliamentary election, declared President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Sunday.
Addressing the people of Hanimaadhoo, Haa Dhaalu Atoll, during Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s ongoing canvassing ahead of the election slated for April 6, President Solih stated that PPM had borrowed MVR 70 million from Maldives Ports Ltd (MPL), under the guise of buying US Dollars, to elect representatives of the party to parliament during the 2014 election.
However, PPM has still not paid back the amount to MPL, the president declared.
The equivalent of USD 5 million was borrowed by Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) from MPL in 2014 under the agreement to repay the loan in dollars within four months. However, the audit report released by then Auditor General Niyaz Ibrahim revealed that the funds were issued to an entity of which then Minister of Tourism Ahmed Adeeb was a shareholder.
"This is another one of their thefts. Today they say that they can only 'breathe' when such powers are returned to them. But the people would fall back into the old situation if they [PPM] are given the chance again", said President Solih, responding to a recent comment by PPM's leader and former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom who claimed that it was mandatory for the opposition coalition of PPM and People’s National Congress (PNC) to win a “super majority” in the elections, to ensure peace and security in Maldives.
Hitting back at Yameen's call for the parliament majority, President Solih proclaimed that Yameen's administration had embezzled more funds from the state treasury than any prior government, and urged the citizens against any chance for the country to fall back into such a circumstance.
Stressing the importance of the ruling coalition winning the majority of seats in parliament, the president called on the people to make cautious choices in deciding candidates.
"I stood back and watched as the election began; but considering the direction the election campaign is taking, I fear that the Maldives might go back to its previous situation".
He further highlighted that the citizens had voted in the new government during the 2018 Presidential Election in order to solve the issues of corruption and embezzlement rampant within Yameen's regime. He assured that his administration was working on reform.
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