Attorney Generals' Office has said that Indian company GMR does not have to pay tax and that these expenses are ones that are under the responsibility of the state and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL).

A statement released by the AG Office today, in response to former Deputy AG Hussain Usham's allegations that AG Ibrahim Riffath had advised that GMR did not have to pay any money in taxes to the Maldivian government, noted that any and all payouts that GMR is to receive from the Maldivian government should be done so without any changes in the final sum, as per the verdict by the Arbitration Tribunal on 25th October, 2016.

The company had initially fought to seek US$1.4 billion in damages from the Maldives, but revised the total amount o US$803 million later on. However, the tribunal moved to limit the pay out to the amount the firm had spent on the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport project.

In response to Usham's allegations, AG Ibrahim Riffath said that he had not made any decisions on this specific case as the Attorney General, and that the government is his first priority at all times. He added that he has worked his best to avoid any potential conflicts of interest in this case.