Govt Fails to Pay its Vendors for 2 Weeks

The government has failed to make payments to its vendors for the past two weeks.

Some businesses have informed TMJ that they have not received any payment for two weeks after the provision of goods and services. Due to this, the businesses divulged that they have incurred major losses.

“We are not doing businesses with much funds. How can we pay our staff if the government hasn’t made any payments in two weeks? On top of late payments, it hasn’t even paid its fines”, said a concerned business owner.

When questioned by TMJ, Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer refused to comment on the matter.

While the government has delayed payments to its vendors, data published by the Finance Ministry show that the state’s budget deficit has reached MVR 6.9 billion by August 26, 2021. It is speculated that the government has delayed paying its vendors as the state does not have adequate funds.