The Auditor General has revealed that Island Aviation owes approximately MVR 1 million to the Elections Commission (EC), according to the audit report for 2022.
The audit report for 2022 noted that about 80 percent of the total debt of MVR 1,043,706 owed to the EC is attributed to Island Aviation. While Island Aviation's total debt to EC was MVR 1,043,706 for the period, this includes MVR 11,298 for ticket refunds requested by the EC in 2020, and the remaining MVR 864,700 as refunds for tickets purchased between 2017 and 2022, excluding 2020.
The report noted that despite the EC submitting a refund form to Island Aviation, EC had not made further efforts to recover the funds. EC had also concluded that the amount could not be recovered. However, while this conclusion should be based on an opinion from the Finance Ministry, the report noted that the commission had discussed the matter with the ministry but still proceeded with its conclusion, pending a final decision from the ministry.
The audit report noted that the remaining outstanding payments to the EC, amounting to MVR 167,708, are due from local councils. However, the report did not specify which councils are responsible for this debt.