Thasmeen, Shahid deny meeting GMR officials

Male: Opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and Parliament Speaker Abdulla Shahid Saturday denied reports that they met with India’s GMR Infrastructure officials and took US$1 million per person.
An anti-government website, which also reports against the opposition, recently claimed that Thasmeen and DRP council member Shahid met GMR officials in New Delhi and took US$1 million per person. The website further claimed that they travelled to India via Sri Lanka.
Thasmeen, however, told Haveeru that they went to Sri Lanka to share information with the diplomats and denied travelling to India.
“I have not met GMR officials so far. But I am not saying that I would not meet them in the future. I do not find any problem in meeting them and seek information about their plans for the airport,” he said.
The government leased Male International Airport to GMR for 25 years on June 29. The Indian company formed a joint venture with Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAHB) and registered GMR Male International Airport Private Limited at Trade Ministry.
The GMR-MAHB consortium proposed to pay US$78 million (almost Rf1 billion) upfront, one percent of the total profit in the first year (until 2014) and 10 percent of the profit from 2015 to 2035. It also agreed to pay 15 percent of fuel trade revenues in the first four years and 27 percent from 2015 to 2035.
20/11/10 haveeru online

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Categories: Airports Nov 2010, Foreign Nov 2010