Seaplane terminal to TMA: ACC report ‘confidential’

The parliament has received the Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) report on Maldives Airports Company Limited's (MACL) alleged plans to lease the new seaplane terminal to Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA) at an unfair rate, however, the report is confidential, says Speaker of Parliament, former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Speaking at Monday's parliament sitting, Nasheed stated that the parliament received ACC's report last Thursday, however, he will share the report with the members in private due to the report being marked confidential.

In a report publicized, ACC stated that if the terminal is leased to TMA, the state will lose USD 55 million each year. ACC has previously revealed that a criminal investigation into the matter has since been launched.

Noting that Bain Capital, the majority shareholder of TMA, also shared relevant information with the parliament, Nasheed highlighted that the talks to lease the terminal took place between October 2017 and October 2018 and therefore took place during the previous administration. As such, he stated that the next course of action in the matter will be the prioritise the best interests of the people and state.

While allegations of plans to lease the entire seaplane terminal to TMA at an unfair rate have surfaced, the state has already allocated a large portion of the new terminal to TMA at the same rate as the current terminal.

While MACL earlier revealed that the new seaplane terminal will be completed later this year, a total of 18,000 square meters of land has been reclaimed for the project, which is being developed by one of China’s renowned construction companies, Beijing Urban Construction Group for a total of USD 40 million.