Budget figures unpublished to distort truth, ex-minister says

Former finance minister Ibrahim Ameer on Saturday accused the government of attempting to distort the truth regarding the financial management of the previous administration.

During a news conference at the President's Office, finance minister Moosa Zameer stated that the previous government faced issues in accurately recording expenditures.

Attorney General Ahmed Usham, who spoke at the same press briefing, noted that the previous administration had made numerous adjustments to the following year's budget after expenditures had already been made. Usham stated that these actions were in violation of the constitution and financial regulations. He added that the government has decided to investigate these cases.

Zameer announced that the government's weekly financial statistics would be published once the previous administration addressed the discrepancies in recording figures.

Ameer expressed his concerns on X, stating, "You are trying to distort the real truth by not publishing statistics, even when no projects are underway, increasing budgetary expenditure and waste."

He pointed out that when the MVR 49.9 billion budget was exhausted, the benefits appeared to be limited to individuals in political positions and activists within companies.

Former defence minister Mariya Ahmed Didi also weighed in on the matter, emphasising the need for a prompt investigation. However, she cautioned that this should not serve as a rationale to withhold financial accounts as mandated by law.

The government is currently preparing a supplementary budget to address the challenges of covering expenditures from the current year's budget.

Zameer mentioned that a proposal for a supplementary budget has been made, but the exact amount is still undetermined. Estimates suggest that the supplementary budget could be around MVR 5 billion, although it is not anticipated to exceed MVR 10 billion.