MDP Requests Halt to Funding of Over 200 Projects Awarded Without Bidding

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party has requested Prosecutor General Abbas Shareef to instruct the Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate and suspend funding for 206 government-awarded projects that the party alleges were issued without a competitive bidding process.

In a letter sent yesterday, the MDP stated that the projects, awarded on 6 November to 53 private companies under the contractor finance rule, breached procurement standards and lacked transparency. The party said the government amended state finance regulations four times to enable the awarding of contracts without public announcements or open tendering.

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According to the letter, the revised rules allow any project endorsed by the Cabinet or its committees to be awarded through single-source procurement, bypassing established procedures. The MDP said these changes could weaken the integrity of the state procurement system and undermine public confidence in the Maldives’ financial governance.

The party also raised concerns about the eligibility of some companies, noting that three of the beneficiaries were not included in the official contractors’ register. It highlighted inconsistencies in project pricing, stating that the cost of constructing 50 housing units in M. Mulak was nearly equivalent to the cost of 25 units in Dh. Meedhoo, despite both islands being the same distance from Male’.

The MDP said contractors were not required to provide performance guarantees, leaving the government without safeguards if work is delayed after advance payments are made.

The party argued that the actions amounted to abuse and misuse of official status for personal or third-party benefit under the Penal Code. It said it plans to file a court case on 9 November to seek a halt to the funding of the projects.