President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has confirmed that MVR 444 million has been disbursed to private companies that were previously owed payments by the government.
Addressing a rally hosted by the People’s National Congress (PNC) at Artificial Beach on Thursday, the President said the payments have been ongoing since the deadline for clearing outstanding dues expired on 6 November.
President Muizzu highlighted the government’s efforts to settle outstanding payments owed to private contractors. He said that within a five-week period, 1,040 contractors have received compensation for work previously completed, amounting to a total of MVR 444.3 million.
He added that payments to contractors will continue daily until all outstanding dues are cleared. The President criticised the previous administration for delays in settling payments, describing the situation as “a disgrace to the people.”
Responding to opposition claims that the current administration was printing money, he clarified that the government is distributing funds from existing allocations, not creating new money, and reaffirmed that such practices would not be pursued.
Earlier this year, during a visit to Hoadedhdhoo, G. Dh., President Muizzu noted that MVR 500 million was owed to Maldivian contractors, which he pledged to pay within a week. He also highlighted that in November 2019, over MVR 6 billion had been released to private companies during the previous administration’s 51 weeks in office.
