Bankrolling the echo chamber: inside the MVR 66m scheme to buy media loyalty
Leaked documents reveal that the Maldives Airports Company Limited is funneling millions in state funds to over 30 media outlets to bolster President Muizzu’s administration. The records show an annual expenditure of over MVR 66 million, with MMTV receiving the largest share of MVR 10.8 million. This strategic use of state-owned enterprises to buy media influence has sparked public outrage following the government's recent electoral defeat and ongoing economic decline.
Among the media outlets on the list, the highest expenditure is directed toward MMTV, a channel established following the current administration's inauguration specifically to promote President Muizzu. Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) allocates MVR 900,000 monthly to the channel, totaling MVR 10.8 million annually. | RaajjeMV Graphics | Raajjemv graphics
The prevailing consensus among Maldivians is that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration has set a new record for the shameless exploitation of national resources for political leverage. There is a deep-seated public conviction that the current administration is so thoroughly steeped in malpractice that its top-tier officials find it impossible to operate within the bounds of standard procedures. From the perspective of a frustrated citizenry, the defining legacy of this era is the illicit funneling of state wealth to political elites under thin disguises, paired with the creation of lucrative "ghost" positions for loyalists who lack both a desk and a job description.
Muizzu’s personal megaphone
As accusations of state-sponsored political bribery reach a fever pitch, internal documents have pulled back the curtain on the Maldives Airports Company Limited’s (MACL) role as a financial backer for the press. The December 2025 update of the MACL Media List reveals a staggering monthly payout of MVR 900,000 to MMTV, a station birthed for the sole purpose of polishing Muizzu’s public image. This single propaganda pipeline drains MVR 10.8 million annually from the state-owned enterprise’s coffers.
A mapped-out media monopoly
The leaked records confirm that the MACL payroll extends to 30 different media entities across the country. In the month of December 2025 alone, the company hemorrhaged MVR 5,520,000 on these payouts, putting the total annual expenditure for media influence at a massive MVR 66,240,000. These funds are distributed across a wide net of television networks, digital news sites and print magazines to ensure the administration's voice remains the loudest.
Rewarding the loyalists
Directly trailing MMTV on the list of top earners are Public Service Media (PSM) and Vaguthu Online, both of which pocket MVR 500,000 every month, or MVR six million a year. The next tier of beneficiaries, including Mendhuru TV, Mendhuru Online, Mihaaru Online, and Studio7, each collect MVR 300,000 monthly, totaling MVR 3.6 million annually per outlet. A closer look at Mendhuru Online and Mendhuru TV, which together rake in MVR 7.2 million a year, shows a direct link to Ahmed Mubeen, a former lawmaker and a heavy hitter within the current government’s inner circle.
The price of silence and the cost of failure
Other notable figures on the payroll include Dhiyares News at MVR 250,000 monthly, while various other outlets are kept happy with MVR 100,000 per month. Even the smallest players, such as XeeTimes, receive a monthly stipend of MVR 15,000. Internal notes suggest that some of the December figures were actually double-payments covering two-month cycles.
These revelations strike at the worst possible moment for a government reeling from a decisive defeat in the 4 April 2026 elections. With the incumbent currently fractured by internal chaos and a wave of high-level resignations, the public is rightfully outraged. The strategy of using state-owned companies to bypass regulations and manufacture consent through millions in media buy-offs is being viewed as a desperate, corrupt attempt to maintain an oversized government while the national economy continues to slide.
