Maldives president alleges his predecessor operated on orders from ‘foreign ambassador’

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu told Maldives’ state-run media outlet Public Service Media (PSM) that his predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took orders from “a foreign ambassador”, without naming the country of origin of the said envoy.

“(Solih) operated on orders from a foreign ambassador, which resulted in extensive damage,” he said.

His response came when asked about the opposition’s criticism regarding the recent procurement of army drones. Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said the deal with Turkey to buy drones to conduct 24-hour surveillance of Maldivian waters was overpriced and questioned Muizzu’s Turkey visit and said the drone deal could have been cheaper as there are more affordable options on the global market.