Rasmale Land Grant to Eagle Hills an Injustice to Maldivians: Lawyer Ali Hussain

At a forum held under the 'Dhivehinege Bin Dhivehinegah' (Maldivians' Land for Maldivians) movement on 25 October 2026, lawyer and former MP for Kendhoo, Ali Hussain, sharply criticised the government for granting 500 hectares of land in the Rasmale development to the UAE-based company Eagle Hills. He said the decision gives land to a foreign entity to settle people while thousands of locals desperately wait for housing, calling it a grave injustice that crushes their hopes. Hussain argued that the Constitution of the Maldives does not allow any person or body to act without a clear policy or law, and that policies must be gazetted and made public. He pointed out that even the Accountant General, Ahmed Usham, had admitted there is no regulation governing foreign settlement in the country. 'You cannot give someone land to settle foreigners when there is no policy and no law. This is done in clear violation of the Constitution. This is a crime,' he said. Noting that Rasmale was reclaimed using Maldivian taxpayers' money, Hussain said it belongs to the Maldivian people. He estimated that the land being given to Eagle Hills is worth around USD 20 billion at market price. He questioned the lack of legal basis for the deal and accused the government of prioritising a foreign company over citizens who have submitted housing applications and face soaring rents. Hussain also indirectly suggested that President Mohamed Muizzu may be benefiting personally from the deal, stating: 'I think the government is doing this because of something it does not get from the people but receives from [Mohamed] al-Thabbar.' He warned that allowing a foreign settlement of up to 100,000 people in Rasmale would further inflate already high housing costs in the Malé region and deepen the frustration of ordinary Maldivians.