The Auditor General's Office has released a compliance audit of the Addu City Council that raises significant transparency concerns. The report found that 11 plots of land across Addu City, designated for tourism development, were allocated without the required public notice, a breach of standard municipal procurement procedures.
In Meedhoo specifically, the audit identified MVR 194,816 in outstanding rent from tourism-zone plots, part of a total MVR 439,297 in arrears across Feydhoo and Meedhoo. The report also flagged that development rights were transferred to third parties even while rental payments remained unpaid, and that revised lease agreements did not include provisions to recover the outstanding amounts.
The audit arrives at a pivotal moment: with Meedhoo's administrative separation from Addu City Council now complete, questions around land-lease governance will need to be addressed by the incoming Meedhoo Island Council secretariat as it assumes responsibility for local land management.
“MVR 194,816 in unpaid Meedhoo tourism-zone rent and leases transferred without settlement. The audit demands accountability.”
