Yameen labels Ras Malé project as gov’t-driven corruption scheme, says Pres. has implicitly acknowledged it

Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has claimed that the Ras Malé project, which involves reclaiming land from the Fushidhiggaru lagoon, represents the current administration’s largest corruption scheme.

He maintained that the project was initiated on the very day the government took office.

Addressing a People’s National Front (PNF) gathering on Sunday, Yameen described Ras Malé as a major act of corruption and asserted that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has, through various public statements, implicitly acknowledged its corrupt nature.

Yameen pointed to the government’s initial actions at the start of the project, arguing that land plots were distributed indiscriminately to unidentified individuals.

He reiterated his long-held position that the Ras Malé project cannot legitimately proceed without being formally included in the state budget and noted that he had previously accused the government’s execution approach of being inherently corrupt.

He referred to Muizzu’s announcement last November that reclamation work for Ras Malé would be completed within five months, and that by the time the land was reclaimed, beneficiaries for 15,000 plots would be finalized.

However, Yameen stressed that the president has provided varying completion dates for the project on different occasions.

Ras Malé has been the government’s top priority since taking office, with reclamation beginning in December 2023 under an initial pledge of completion within eight months.

Despite this, 22 months have now passed, and only 16 percent of the planned 1,100 hectares has been reclaimed.

Although Muizzu previously stated that the project would not use a single cent from the state budget, millions of dollars have already been spent.

In addition to this, contractors have been changed repeatedly, raising concerns that the project is being handled irresponsibly.