Public backlash forces Janah to resign from government boards

Immense public backlash has forced construction mogul Mohamed Ali Janah to resign from all government boards.

He is a member of the Maldives Monetary Authority's board of directors, and is the chairman of the Maldives Building and Construction Board- established by former President Abdulla Yameen's administration. Most recently, he was appointed to the Salaries and Wages Advisory Board.

While establishing a minimum wage is one of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's pledges, there has been public outrage over his decision to appoint Janah to the board.

The President of the Maldives Association of Construction Industry (MACI), Janah has also been facing various allegations on social media since, including failing to pay salaries from his company, Hotels and Resort Construction (HRC). He denies the allegations.

Speaking to local media outlets Janah said that he decided to resign from the government boards to give more attention to his businesses. He added that he had always worked to "assist" the state through his own businesses.

Janah further noted that he had never expressed interest in any such boards, and that the only reason he accepted the roles is "to help the people and the government."

Janah is also the president of the International Federation of Asian and Western Pacific Contractors' Association.