Malé, Maldives — According to the Maldivian parliament, the incumbent parliamentarian to receive the highest amount of income in 2019 is the representative of Dhaalu Atoll’s Meedhoo constituency Ahmed Siyam (Sun Siyam).
Recently publicised financial statements shows that Siyam had received MVR 20.2 million between May 2019 and May 2020. This including his parliamentary salary and benefits as well as the income generated from his company, Sun Travel Pvt Ltd. Furthermore, in addition to the sum mentioned above, Siyam had also collected MVR 887,520 as dividend from various companies, making his total income in the period to MVR 21.1 million.
The total assets of Shiyam, including his land plots, vehicles, deposits at bank accounts and shares is valued at MVR 25 million.
However, the financial statement also notes that at present, Siyam has outstanding loans worth MVR 31.2 million from two different banks. Siyam has repaid only MVR 3.3 million between the dates May 2019 and May 2020.
Despite Siyam being the highest income earner of 2019, the title of the wealthiest parliamentarian is being held by the Jumhooree Party leader and representative of Alif Dhaalu Atoll’s Maamigili constituency, Qasim Ibrahim. He owns assets worth of over MVR 1 billion. Qasim obtained an income of MVR 9.5 million in 2019.
Due to the current administration’s vows to maintain transparency, this is the first time for the financial details of any parliamentarian to be conveyed to the public.
