The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, has revealed that the current administration has settled more than MVR 50 million in outstanding liabilities left behind at the ministry when the government changed hands in November 2023.
Sharing the update on social media, Dr Shaheem said the ministry had inherited MVR 30 million in unpaid bills, while further unbilled expenses pushed the total to over MVR 50 million — more than half of which was owed immediately to local companies that had already delivered services.
The disclosure comes as the government continues efforts to stabilise the national economy and rebuild trust with businesses. Earlier, officials reported that the state had assumed office facing MVR 9 billion in arrears owed to domestic companies across multiple sectors. That figure included about MVR 260 million in overdue payments to fishermen, which the administration says has since been fully cleared.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, who took office on 17 November 2023, has pledged to settle all remaining domestic arrears in the coming weeks, framing the effort as a key step in restoring financial discipline and confidence in state institutions.
