News Desk
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has accused the former MDP government of committing what he described as the highest degree of treason by taking actions that led to the loss of part of the Maldives’ maritime territory. He made the remarks last night at the launch of “The Greater Addu Vision”.
The President said the previous administration was led by individuals who lacked any national vision. He argued that although Mauritius had taken the case to arbitration, the Maldives could still have challenged the outcome. Instead, he said, the former government submitted the matter to ITLOS in a way that resulted in the loss of a significant portion of the country’s maritime zone.
“It is definitely unconstitutional, which I believe would be the highest crime of treason. And this was done at the expense of MVR 37 million from the people’s money,” he said, criticising those responsible.
The President said international experts advising the current government on reclaiming the lost maritime area had also questioned the previous administration’s approach, saying it had been handled in a way that harmed the country. He added that the matter had been taken forward without parliamentary approval, through what he described as a secret letter.
President Muizzu said he had decided to withdraw the letter sent by the former government to Mauritius, calling it a major betrayal. He said the Mauritian government was officially informed of the withdrawal this afternoon. The government’s current objective, he said, is to recover the lost territory by submitting the case to international bodies.
Although the process will be challenging, the President said he is confident of success. “It’s challenging now, but hopefully we will succeed. That’s clear to us,” he said.
