Malé council faces complaint over land deal linked to mayor’s family
Villimale’ Councillor Nahla Ali requested that the issue be placed on the agenda of Wednesday’s council meeting.
A case has been submitted to the Malé City Council on Sunday alleging that land was awarded to Mayor Adam Azim’s brother outside established procedures.
In a letter addressed to Mayor Azim, Villimale’ Councillor Nahla Ali requested that the issue be placed on the agenda of Wednesday’s council meeting.
Nahla’s letter states that an agreement was signed with a company owned by the mayor’s brother for the development of a women’s market and outdoor food kiosks in Villimale’, despite a bid having been won by another party. According to the letter:
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The winning bidder was Business Pvt Ltd.
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Vinorva Maldives Pvt Ltd, which did not participate in the bid process, signed an agreement instead.
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Vinorva Maldives is owned by Azim’s brother, Mohamed Wisham.
The matter was not included in the list of leased land areas released by the City Council last month.
Nahla previously raised the issue at a council meeting, during which a heated exchange took place between her and Mayor Azim. During the confrontation, Nahla tore documents linked to the agreements. The council has since reported the incident to police.
The allegations include:
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Land allocated to Vinorva Maldives to develop a women’s market without a bidding process.
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An alleged exchange of this land for 6,000 square feet of beachfront land.
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Allocation of 1,117 square feet in the Villimale’ Industrial Area for buggy parking to a company linked to Azim’s family. The agreement has since been cancelled.
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Allocation of 2,530 square feet of land free of charge in the Carnival area to Vasmeeru Holding, a company linked to Attorney General Ahmed Usham.
Mayor Azim has denied all allegations, stating that he has not granted any land during his tenure.
