Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has stated that mercantile courts should be established with foreign judges.

Speaking at a People's National Front (PNF) meeting held last night in Addu City's Feydhoo, Yameen stated that such courts are needed to protect major foreign investments made in the Maldives.

Highlighting that the economy must be strengthened in order to attract foreign investments to the Maldives, Yameen said that fiscal and monetary policies must be reinforced and the Maldives' credit rating must be brought to an acceptable level. He stated that the current credit rating of the Maldives is something no one would look at, and that demonstrating economic strength to investors can only be achieved by improving the rating.

Stating that "we currently have no trust in the Maldivian justice system," Yameen cited an example involving a dispute faced by a 300 or 400 million dollar resort being developed in the north. He explained that after the resort management paid a broker for palm trees brought to green the resort, the broker failed to pay the original owners of the palms. When this case was submitted to court, although the resort owners presented all documentation, the court failed to resolve the matter promptly, which he highlighted as a major problem faced by investors.

To find solutions to such issues, Yameen proposed establishing mercantile courts by bringing in trusted judges who have worked in countries like Singapore. He stated that cases submitted to such courts would be concluded within 15 or 20 days, and that these judges must be incorruptible and immune to influence from the state or any party involved in the case. Given that Maldivian tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry, Yameen asserted that even if such judges had to be paid a monthly salary of $60,000, it is something the Maldives is fully capable of doing.