Ambassador Dhiyana defends Eagle Hills deal, cites Yameen-Era land law

The Maldives’ ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed, has defended the government’s approach to the Eagle Hills Ras Malé project, contrasting its leasehold framework with the constitutional amendment passed during former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration that permitted foreign land ownership under specified conditions.

In a Facebook post beginning with the words, “A brief lesson on history,” Saeed criticised Yameen’s record on foreign land ownership and highlighted former MP Abdulla Shahid’s support for the 2015 amendment.

In 2015, former President Abdulla Yameen overturned the Maldives’ millennia-old sacred policy against selling sovereign land to foreigners

she wrote.

Saeed argued that the amendment had opened a pathway for wealthy foreign entities, including those from Israel, to acquire Maldivian land.

She also pointed to divisions within the Maldivian Democratic Party over the parliamentary vote.

Crucially, MP Abdulla Shahid , now a major contender for the MDP presidential ticket - voted YES to pass the amendment, enabling foreign entities, including those from Israel, to buy up our territory

She added.

Parliament approved the amendment in July 2015.

It permitted foreign investors committing more than US$1 billion to acquire land within projects where at least 70% of the completed site consisted of reclaimed land.

The amendment was repealed in 2019, with no land reported sold under its provisions.

Turning to the Eagle Hills development, Dhiyana credited President Mohamed Muizzu’s administration with introducing buyer-vetting measures and preserving a leasehold arrangement.

She described the project as remaining “strictly leasehold with no foreign land sales” and said the administration had “moved to safeguard our sovereign rights and Islamic identity.”

Her position echoes government assurances that the underlying land will remain state-owned, property transfers will require government approval, and property purchases will not automatically confer permanent residency or citizenship.

Dhiyana also cited restrictions on Israeli passport holders as a safeguard.

The remarks come amid scrutiny of the Eagle Hills project’s long-term lease arrangements.

Critics have questioned whether renewable leases could provide effectively permanent foreign control, particularly following the developer’s initial statement that resale or inheritance would restart a 99-year lease.

The government maintains that the arrangement does not constitute a sale of Maldivian land.