Earlier it was reported that President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had secured USD 79.8 million (MVR 1.2 billion) loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) to accelerate the Velana International Airport's expansion project.
However, the incumbent Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer claimed this loan was secured by the current administration.
According to the minister, the government had worked on securing the loan through ADFD, Kuwait Fund and the OPEC Fund for Development (OFID) over the past two years.
The minister said that USD 100 million was secured through Saudi Arabia for the expansion, with supplementary funds to be secured from ADFD if required.
Earlier in October, the Saudi Fund announced extension of the USD 100 million (MVR 1.5 billion) to accelerate the airport's development.
While the minister has claimed the funds for VIA development was arranged by the current government, the transition committee's spokesperson Mohamed Firzul Abdulla Haleel maintains the funding was obtained during an unofficial visit by Dr. Muizzu to Abu Dhabi last Monday.
Firzul emphasized that the airport project holds paramount importance for the overall economy and is a top priority for the President-elect.
Despite the current government's aim to open the expanded VIA terminal in 2025, the President-elect's objective is to open the airport within his first eight months in office. Moreover, in the upcoming year's budget, 12 percent of the expenditure on economic and industrial development will be dedicated to the airport. Of the MVR 1 billion allocated for the airport project, MVR 666 million is yet to be received.
Acceleration of the project will incur additional expenditure.
The Maldives government previously awarded construction of the new VIA terminal to Saudi's Bin Ladin Group in 2016. The new terminal covers almost 78,000 square meters with an estimated cost of MVR 5.5 billion.
In response to Minister Ameer's statement, the Director General of Transition and the Chairperson of People's National Congress (PNC) Abdul Raheem Abdulla gave a stern rebuttal.
"Do you still not see the consequences of misleading the public while you are spewing lies in broad daylight?" Abdul Raheem verbally attacked the minister.
It should also be noted that though the minister made claims of arranging additional funds to accelerate the project, the initiative which first commenced during former President Abdulla Yameen's administration stalled during the current government owing to fund constraints.
In his line of criticism, Abdul Raheem said the lies and fallacies of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and his cabinet are no longer accepted by the public, which he said was clear from the presidential election's outcome in October.
The PNC Chairperson further claimed the USD 80 million secured for the airport's acceleration was not secured under the current government.
"It was secured by Dr. Muizzu during his unofficial visit to the United Arab Emirates," Abdul Raheem said.
Earlier on Sunday, Dr. Muizzu flew to United Arab Emirates on a private jet arranged by the UAE government. During his visit, the President-elect met with senior officials of the ADFD for discussions.
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