A Dubai court has ordered the shareholders of Executors General Trading to pay USD 2.4 million to the Maldivian government for failing to deliver ventilators contracted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 2 April 2020, the Ministry of Health signed an agreement with Dubai-based Executors General Trading to supply 75 ventilators to the Maldives. However, the ventilators were not provided as per the agreement, with only 15 substandard units delivered, which were rejected. The Health Ministry subsequently ordered a refund of USD 2 million for the undelivered ventilators, but the payment was not made.
The Maldives International Arbitration Centre had previously ruled in favour of the government, stating that the refund, along with compensation for the breach of contract, should be paid to the Maldivian government. However, Executors General Trading failed to comply, which led to the escalation of the case to a Dubai court. On 7 October 2025, the court ruled that the payment must be settled within seven days, or the company would face further legal action.
Attorney General Ahmed Usham told PSM News that the case was referred to the Dubai court to recover USD 2.07 million paid by the Maldives government for the ventilators, in addition to interest and arbitration costs.
“If the payment is not made within seven days as per the court order, we will take the necessary steps to enforce the arbitration award,” the Attorney General said.
The Attorney General has previously said that the state suffered significant losses in the ventilator case and that all necessary measures would be taken to recover the funds.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) noted that the previous government had awarded the contract to Executors General Trading without a bank guarantee. According to ACC, the USD 2.24 million paid to the company was released without verifying the company’s credentials or its ability to supply the ventilators.