More than 60 percent of Maldivian voters approve of President Muizzu’s performance, an opinion poll by the Baani Centre, a local think tank, found. The approval rating was based on phone interviews with 391 respondents, 62 percent of whom supported the incumbent two years into his five-year term.
Together with fines rising to MVR 7 million (US$ 453,955), the criminal court handed a prison sentence of 109 years to Hassan Shifau, who was found guilty on 23 counts of forgery, money laundering and fraud. The charges stemmed from the use of forged telegraphic transfers to defraud foreign suppliers to import goods worth MVR 1.9 million (US$ 123,000) for his fruit business. It was the longest prison sentence handed down by a Maldivian court.
Police stopped and questioned 23 expatriates on the streets and in public places after midnight, the home minister revealed. “Targeted operations” to stop and question foreigners between midnight and 6am were launched nationwide on Wednesday night. Transparency Maldives and a coalition of rights groups condemned the measures, warning that it would fuel “increased xenophobia, exclusion, profiling and fear,” further exposing migrant workers to abuse, exploitation and harassment.
More than 9,695 expatriates were deported over the past two years, Home Minister Ali Ihusan said at a joint press conference with the heads of police and Immigration. Since the launch of Operation Kurangi last year, the government has collected biometric data from over 200,000 migrant workers. According to Immigration Controller Ahmed Faseeh, expatriates were operating and profiting from businesses registered in the names of Maldivians, reducing locals to fronts or “salaried employees” for foreign workers. Police Commissioner Ismail Naveen said both undocumented and documented migrant workers were being exploited to carry out organised criminal activities, including drug smuggling and the trafficking of illegal contraband.
A “mass legalisation program” to regularise undocumented migrant workers will be opened from 1 January 2026 until 1 April 2026, the homeland security ministry announced.
The rent and downpayment for Gedhoruveriyaa flats will be reduced, President Muizzu announced during a town hall meeting with Hulhumalé residents. Rent for three-bedroom apartments will drop from MVR 10,500 to MVR 10,000, while the downpayment will be lowered from MVR 25,000 to MVR 8,000. For two-bedroom apartments, rent will be reduced from MVR 7,000 to MVR 6,000, and the down payment will fall from MVR 15,000 to MVR 6,000.
The Coast Guard seized two Sri Lankan fishing vessels operating illegally within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Maldives, 51 miles east of Haa Alif Kelaa. The boats were located based on intelligence shared by neighbouring countries, along with surveillance carried out by the Coast Guard and the Air Corps' drones. The vessels were escorted to Kulhudhuffushi port and handed over to police.
A foreign man was found dead at sea near Gulhifalhu on Thursday afternoon, police told the media. The body was recovered and taken to IGMH in Malé.
The Met office declared the onset of the northeast monsoon on December 17, following sustained easterly winds of 10 knots or more for two consecutive days.
A Russian tourist reported missing since Wednesday was yet to be found. He is suspected to have been carried out to sea after going for a swim, Ululhas Island Council told Mihaaru.
Former environment minister Aminath Shauna was appointed to the Decade Advisory Board of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
The Bank of Maldives opened three new ATMs in Hulhumalé Phase 2.
The opposition MDP scheduled its local council election primaries for January 30 and announced a timeline for conducting the internal polls.
The economic minister lauded the listing of Authentic Maldives on the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, providing "access for more than 400 local Maldivian vendors."
The Bank of Maldives and Visit Maldives signed an agreement with India's UnionPay to "collaborate on a joint marketing initiative aimed at enhancing digital payment experiences and strengthening tourism promotion efforts."
China donated laptops and desktop computers to the Prosecutor General's Office.
The criminal court extended the remand of former immigration controller Shamaan Waheed, who is on trial for allegedly abusing his official position to extort money from a detained expatriate. Prosecutors said he could still interfere with witnesses if released, adding that they would seek his release with conditions after witness testimony is recorded.
The High Court registrar dismissed a constitutional case seeking to strike down the regulation and management plan for gulper shark fisheries gazetted on November 1. The petition failed to explain how the rules violated the constitution, the registrar decided, noting that the management plan could not be regarded as a law or regulation that could be challenged through a constitutional case.
