Pres Solih spends over MVR 3 mln on London trip

The President's Office has revealed that the government spent more than MVR 3 million on President Solih's trip to the United Kingdom to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral last September.

Several days after TMJ sought information on the visit under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the president's office revealed that the entire trip cost MVR 3.041 million. Most of it was spent on tickets. The ticket cost MVR 1.7 crore, while the stay and dinner cost MVR 780,756. The incidental and VIP lounge cost MVR 4 lakh while the pocket money of the couple was MVR 129,528.

Initially, the government had said that the visit, which took place from September 17 to 21, would not cost even a million. Later, government spokesperson Miuvan gave false information, saying the cost of the trip was 2.4 million. However the president's office later disclosed the information to TMJ when the Information's Commissioner's Office decided to hold a public hearing regarding the matter.

President Solih has been travelling to countries around the world since assuming office, but these trips have not helped the Maldives much. This year too, more than MVR 200 million has been spent on travel.

Speaking to RaajjeTV before coming to power, President Solih said that he is fond of travelling.