Council meeting on fish market pacts cancelled for third time
At Thursday's meeting, only five councillors were present, and Mayor Adam Azim did not attend.
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A meeting of the Male City Council to question its legal head regarding two multi-million-dollar agreements for the development of a modern fish market and a local market was cancelled on Wednesday due to lack of quorum.
This is the third time the matter has been scheduled since the head of the legal section, Ali Naseer, was asked to appear before the council. On each occasion, the council, where the ruling PNC holds a majority, has failed to reach quorum.
The agreements have delayed the fish market project after errors were identified in their drafting.
The council had earlier decided to question Naseer over changes made to the second agreement, which he signed, and to determine whether action should be taken against him. A proposal had also been made to suspend him until an investigation was completed, though no suspension has been implemented.
At Thursday's meeting, only five councillors were present, and Mayor Adam Azim did not attend.
Councillor Saif Fathih, who submitted the motion, wrote on X that the quorum was not met because many PNC members boycotted the session. He accused the council leadership of concealing the matter and questioned whose interests were being protected.
According to Saif, Naseer continues to maintain sensitive documents, the issue has not been reported to the Local Government Authority or the police, and the agreements remain undisclosed.
The decision to develop a modern fish market and local market was taken during the tenure of President Mohamed Muizzu as mayor. The plan included demolishing the existing local market after the new one was completed.
Mayor Azim has since revealed that two agreements had been signed. He said:
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The first contract, worth USD 6.1 million, was signed while Muizzu was mayor.
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The second contract, valued at USD 9.6 million, was signed after Muizzu resigned to contest the presidency. At that time, Deputy Mayor Ahmed Nareesh was acting mayor.
Azim said the second contract, signed by the council’s legal head, undermined the council’s position and could have halted the market development and led to demolition of the building.
Both contracts carried the same reference number, raising further questions about their validity.
The council has yet to decide on action, and repeated cancellations have stalled progress on the inquiry.
