Ministry Blames Administrative Issues for Delayed Payments to Businesses
In response to a Right to Information (RTI) request filed by RaajjeTV, the Ministry of Finance revealed that outstanding payments to private businesses for bills overdue by more than a year totaled MVR 95 million as of June 24, 2025. The Ministry further clarified that while over 50 percent of these arrears were owed by state-owned enterprises, all such outstanding payments have now been fully settled.
Ministry of Finance And Public Enterprises. | RaajjeMV
The Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises has stated that 99 percent of outstanding payments to local businesses that have been overdue for more than a year were delayed due to administrative issues.
The Ministry made this statement in response to a Right to Information (RTI) request submitted by RaajjeTV. Specifically, the news outlet had inquired whether there were any outstanding payments owed to private businesses for over a year and, if so, the total amount of those arrears.
This refers to a Right to Information (RTI) request submitted by RaajjeTV to the Ministry of Finance on June 24, 2025.
In a response issued a year after the initial RTI request was filed, the Ministry stated that outstanding payments to Maldivian businesses for bills overdue by more than a year totaled MVR 95 million as of June 24, 2025. The Ministry further noted that over 50 percent of these invoices were submitted by state-owned enterprises.
Furthermore, the Ministry stated in its response that 99 percent of the bills owed to local businesses that had remained outstanding for over a year were delayed due to administrative issues. The Ministry also noted that payments for these bills have now been settled in full.
The Ministry provided this response only after RaajjeTV filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) regarding the lack of a reply to their Right to Information (RTI) request. The Ministry’s Information Officer attributed the delay to administrative challenges, stating that a change in personnel for the Information Officer role occurred during the period the RTI was submitted.
Furthermore, the Ministry's initial response failed to address the specific inquiry posed by RaajjeTV. Instead, the Ministry first provided the total expenditure paid out to private businesses between January and April of the current year, 2024.
It was stated that 2.3 billion Maldivian Rufiyaa was paid during that period. The response further noted that the government is currently consulting with the Auditor General to resolve delays regarding bills pending audit clearance; however, as this process is ongoing, further details cannot be disclosed at this time.
Consequently, RaajjeTV reiterated its request for a direct answer to the question posed. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) issued a similar directive to the Ministry of Finance. In compliance with ICOM’s order, the Finance Ministry has now submitted a revised response.
