Confidential Letter from Maldives' President Leaked

A draft letter allegedly sent by President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih to the Prime Minister of Mauritius, expressing support for the United Nations General Assembly's recognition of the Chagos Archipelago as part of Mauritius and recognizing Mauritius' full sovereignty over the islands, has been leaked on social media. The letter was reportedly leaked by an anonymous Twitter account known for leaking evidence of government corruption.

The Maldives Journal requested a comment from the President on the matter but received no reply. The government has also previously refused to disclose the letter despite requests made under the Right to Information Act. The leaked letter has now gone viral on Maldivian social media.

It is important to note that the Maldives' longstanding stance has been that the United Kingdom has sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago. However, in 2022, President Solih sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Mauritius expressing his country's desire to recognize Mauritius' sovereignty over the islands. This sudden change in stance could potentially impact the ongoing dispute over the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Mauritius and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, which is currently being heard at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

Furthermore, a member of parliament, Ibrahim Rasheed, has accused President Solih of accepting a bribe of USD 500 million from a foreign party, believed to be fisheries companies operating in Mauritius, in exchange for the letter. Rasheed has also called on the President to retract the letter and return the money.