The government has decided to appeal the decision of the High Court of the Maldives to halt all progress on the Gulhifalhu land reclamation project.
In a post on X, Attorney General Ahmed Usham conveyed the decision, highlighting the substantial monetary value of the Gulhifalhu reclamation project. He emphasised that the state stands to suffer significant financial losses for each day the project remains at a standstill, especially considering it is already 80% completed. Therefore, he said that the government has chosen to appeal the High Court's injunction to the Supreme Court.
The dispute regarding the alleged lack of environmental friendliness of the project was brought forth by a civilian and submitted to the Civil Court. Despite efforts to pause the project until the matter is resolved, the Civil Court previously ruled that it lacked the authority to issue such an order. However, the recent directive from the High Court mandates a halt to all project activities until the conclusion of the case by the Civil Court.
Notably, the High Court's order arrived after more than 100 hectares of land had already been reclaimed out of the planned 150 hectares in Gulhifalhu. In addition, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had announced intentions to reclaim an additional 85 hectares of land.