Maldives hires second public relations firm

The government of the Maldives has hired a second public relations firm London-based BTP Advisers, the Maldives Independent can reveal.

The hiring of BTP Advisers, whose clients have included the governments of Rwanda, the Ivory Coast, Kenya and Azerbaijan, follows the engagement of US-based lobby firm Podesta Group, which was employed for a sum of US$300,000 for six months.

The government had also previously contracted Omnia Strategy, a London-based public relations and legal firm chaired by Cherie Blair, the wife of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, to respond to the UN on former president Mohamed Nasheed’s imprisonment.

The fee for Omnia Strategy has not been disclosed, but the Maldives Independent can reveal the government spent a total of MVR 297,510.88 (US$19,293.83) on visits by Omnia Strategy’s barrister, Toby Cadman, between June and September.