Ministry of Economic Development has published expenditure reports for Minister Fayyaz Ismail on his trips abroad.
Dhiyares, TMJ’s sister paper, requested for disclosure under the Right to Information act. As such, Minister Fayyaz had conducted 18 trips abroad. He had spent 64 days abroad.
The disclosure does not include five trips made – the expenses on these trips were allotted to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President’s Office. Without including these five trips, separate trips to Uzbekistan and Malaysia, the Ministry had spent MVR 617,216 (US$ 40,027).
The inclusion of the five trips would push the bill to over a million Maldivian Rufiyaa.
Minister Fayyaz had frequented India the most. He had visited India six times, spending 20 days.
The administration of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had always claimed that these visits were necessary to raise grant aid and acquire development project partners. Neither have come to fruition.