Parliament Throws Out Emergency Motion on Alleged Jetex-VIA Deal

Parliament has dismissed an emergency motion submitted by opposition MP Hussain Ziyad of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which raised concerns about a potential deal to allocate part of Velana International Airport (VIA) to a foreign company.

The proposal, which was based on documents leaked online, alleged that the government and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) were in discussions to hand over land at VIA to Dubai-based company Jetex for the development of a new VIP terminal.

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Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla announced the dismissal of the motion during Monday’s sitting, stating that it failed to meet the truthfulness requirement outlined in parliamentary regulations. 

“Emergency motions must be based on verified facts. The motion submitted by the MP for Vaikaradhoo does not meet this criteria,” the Speaker said.

MP Ziyad’s motion highlighted a proposal reportedly submitted by Jetex, which requested 10,000 square metres of land at VIA for a period of 25 years. In exchange, the company pledged to bring in the international jet market and provide a minimum of USD 5 million annually, in addition to sharing profits.

However, the government and MACL have denied any agreement or decision regarding the proposal. MACL’s Managing Director stated that the document circulating online was merely an unsolicited proposal that had not been approved or acted upon.

In his motion, MP Ziyad questioned the financial wisdom of such a deal, pointing out that MACL earned USD 12 million last year from existing jet services. He argued that accepting the Jetex offer could result in a significant loss of revenue and control over a key national asset.

Despite growing public attention to the leaked proposal, the Parliament concluded that the motion lacked the factual basis required to proceed, effectively closing the matter for now.