Prez Muizzu alleges his predecessor operated on 'foreign ambassador' orders

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has alleged his predecessor and the opposition leader, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, of operating on orders from the foreign ambassador, Maldives-based Maldives News Network reported.

Maldives News Network (MNN) is a registered news network operated by Maldives News Network PVT LTD in the Maldives.

In an interview with Public Service Media (PSM), President Muizzu responded to criticism regarding the recent procurement of military drones.

President Muizzu noted that the main opposition, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), when it held office from 2018-2023 failed to protect the Maldives independence, leaving it in hands of foreign country despite having supermajority in the Parliament

He said that President Solih had operated on orders from a foreign ambassador, which resulted in extensive damage, reported MNN.

However, he did not specify which foreign country he was referring to.

"We had lost independence in all sense of the word, including economically. After having done all this, they would naturally not accept our efforts to remedy all this and put the country on a track that the Maldivian people want, towards a 'Dhiveheenge Raajje'," he said.

Regarding the cost of the drones, President Muizzu said that, while he believes in transparency, such military secrets aren't disclosed by any country, Maldives News Network reported.

"In such matters that is crucial to national security, I am heavily reliant on counsel from our chief of defense force and our generals. Therefore, I will follow their counsel, and I will listen to them," he said.

President Muizzu said that no value can be attached to the independence of Maldives, and that it is in fact "priceless.