A leaked 2014 email between former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein has ignited public debate in the Maldives, after Epstein casually referenced access to the “former president of the Maldives”.
In the exchange, Epstein invited Barak to meet billionaire Peter Thiel in New York on April 19, 2014, adding that the former Maldivian president would also be present. Barak declined, citing travel plans to Europe.
Since the leak surfaced, Maldivians on X (formerly Twitter) have launched their own investigations to determine which leader Epstein may have been referring to. At the time, the Maldives had three living former presidents: Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Mohamed Nasheed, and Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.
X users quickly pointed out that both President Nasheed and President Maumoon were in the Maldives during April 2014, based on news archives and public appearances. That left only one figure unaccounted for: Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.
[🚨] President Waheed met with Jeffrey Epstein in New York City.
President Nasheed was in Maldives
President Maumoon was in Lanka
By process of elimination, only Waheed remains unaccounted for.
Moreover, Jeffrey Salim Waheed was also in NYC on 19 Apr 2014 https://t.co/EON9XwqRYX pic.twitter.com/4TlJFEi2Zw
— js (@jubraanshareef) August 29, 2025
The revelation has fueled growing public suspicion and conspiracy theories, with many questioning why Epstein’s global network would have ties to Maldivian leadership. Citizens are demanding clarity on whether a former Maldivian president was indeed present in Epstein’s circle — and, if so, for what purpose.
While no evidence has emerged linking Maldivian leaders to Epstein’s crimes, the mere mention of the Maldives alongside global financiers, billionaires, and controversial figures has heightened public unease. For many, the unanswered questions only deepen the mystery: why was the Maldives — a small island nation far from Wall Street and Tel Aviv — being quietly invoked in Epstein’s elite social circles?
