Parliament representative for Thimarafushi constituency Abdulla Riyaz has insinuated that he will not be repaying Qasim Ibrahim for funding his 2019 parliamentary campaign.
During the press conference on Monday, Qasim stated that Jumhooree Party may have operated better if Thimarafushi MP Abdulla Riyaz and Dhangethi MP Colonel (Rtd) Mohamed Nazim repaid the funds that were expended for their parliamentary campaign as members of the party.
Jumhooree Party Leader Qasim revealed that around MVR 4-5 million was spent on their campaigns.
Riyaz informed Dhiyares that he does not believe Qasim would exceed the legal amount when funding anyone’s campaign. When asked if Qasim did spend the amount previously stated, Riyas claimed that it was a personal transaction and refused any further comment.
When asked whether he will repay the funds Qasim spent on his campaign, Riyaz iterated that the funds expended in that way do not need to be repaid.
“Money from various sources for a campaign does not need to be returned”, said the Thimarafushi MP. He added that people besides Qasim also contributed to his campaign.
Qasim has described Riyaz and Nazim as traitors for leaving Jumhooree Party and forming a new party called the Maldives National Party (MNP). During Monday’s press conference, the Jumhooree Party Leader heavily criticized the two.