Yameen accuses govt of council building project at inflated cost
Yameen also used the rally to criticise the broader governance system, arguing that accountability is weakened when every issue must be referred to Parliament.
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Former President Abdulla Yameen has alleged that the government awarded Rasheed Carpentry and Construction (RCC) a contract to build council buildings at double the actual cost.
Speaking at a People’s National Front (PNF) rally on Sunday night, Yameen said the project to construct council buildings on 55 islands was being carried out at an inflated price.
The Ministry of Local Government announced last week that RCC had been awarded the contract at a cost of MVR 631 million, which Minister Adam Shareef Umar said was the lowest bid among four bidders.
Yameen, however, claimed the project was awarded without a proper tendering process and described it as corruption. “The government should negotiate. Even if it is done on supplier credit, it should not be done at double the price. This is corruption,” he said.
Minister Adam Shareef responded that the project was approved by the Economic Council (EC) in the President’s Office. “Of the four companies that submitted proposals, we submitted to the EC to proceed with the lowest bidder. After that, we consulted RCC and submitted again to the EC for approval. That is permitted under the Finance Rules,” he said.
The minister added that RCC would be responsible for furnishing the offices and constructing the surrounding walls.
Yameen further alleged that RCC was financing the project through a loan from the Bank of Maldives backed by a government guarantee. “BML has released MVR 600 million to RCC under a government guarantee,” he said, claiming that only around MVR 225 million would be required for such construction.
He also questioned the timing of the project, noting it was being implemented ahead of council elections.
Criticism of Governance System
Yameen also used the rally to criticise the broader governance system, arguing that accountability is weakened when every issue must be referred to Parliament.
“Every institutional issue ends up in Parliament, which has become a confusing forum. Judges and independent institutions are also made accountable only through Parliament. That is a systemic problem,” he said.
He argued that the system enables presidents to consolidate excessive control. “When a president occupies the entire system and centralises all power, no solution can be found within this framework. We need an accountable system,” Yameen said.
