Parliamentarians of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have criticized attempts to take compensation from the state due to violation of agreements.

MDP Parliamentary Group leader Ali Azim, in a tweet on Monday, expressed outrage over the numerous attempts to take enormous amounts of money as compensation from the state.

After receiving backlash online, MP Azim said that his initial tweet was aimed at those attempting to obtain undue compensation and not at those who have been unfairly treated by the state.

In response to the tweet, South Henveiru MP Hussain Shaheem said he fully supported what Azim has said and that MPs should not stand idly by as people take advantage of the state.

Also supporting the statement, Maradhoo MP Ibrahim Shareef said that the government should not settle out of court and should instead try to stop these attempts even if it means making changes to law. He also said that all state-owned enterprises should be concerned about this issue.

In response, former MP Ibrahim Ismail said that the state will only become bankrupt if MPs and courts continue to allow the state to steal and damage people’s property, and not by paying compensation. He urged them not to berate those who have been unfairly treated by the state and instead focus on giving them compensation.

Government’s statistics show that the state owes a total of MVR 882 million in compensation to various businesses and also owes one company USD 17.89 million.