President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and his entourage recently incurred a cost of MVR 1.2 million on flight tickets during his visit to Germany and Qatar, according to an official at the Finance Ministry who spoke to the Maldives Journal. The official stated that this was just the cost of tickets and when other expenses are added, the total amount spent will reach millions.
A total of 19 people were part of the president's entourage, including officials from the foreign and tourism ministries who also took part in these two trips. It is estimated that when their expenses are added, the total cost will probably reach MVR 7 million.
This is not the first time President Solih has incurred such expenses. Previously, he spent almost a million on his trip to Qatar to watch the World Cup and also spent MVR 3 million on his visit to the UK to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral.
It is worth noting that before assuming office as president, President Solih had stated that he is fond of traveling around the world. However, the high cost of such trips has raised concerns among some members of the public, especially given the current economic situation in the country.