Court documents have confirmed that former Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik was in direct communication with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while serving as head of state in 2012.
The filing reveals that on July 28, 2012, Epstein forwarded an email to Barclays executive Jes Staley, allegedly written by President Waheed. In the message, Waheed discussed speaking with the finance minister and inquired about securing a loan of up to $500 million over a ten-year period, with a one-year grace period. The email, signed “Warm regards, Waheed” sought insight into what terms could be expected under market conditions.
Barely a month later, on September 3, 2012, Maldives signed a $500 million loan agreement with China, as also reported by Reuters at the time. The sequence of events has fueled widespread suspicion about the role Epstein may have played in the Maldives’ financing deal.
The revelation comes amid renewed attention to Epstein’s global network, which linked him to powerful financiers, tech moguls, and politicians worldwide. For Maldivians, the fact that Epstein was directly corresponding with the sitting president raises disturbing questions about the country’s financial dealings during Waheed’s administration.
Social media platforms have erupted with anger and curiosity, with citizens demanding transparency on how and why Epstein — a man later exposed as a sex trafficker — was consulted on multimillion-dollar state-level financing. The connection between Waheed’s request and the subsequent Chinese loan agreement is being scrutinized as more than mere coincidence.
For many, the concern is not only about past dealings but about how such hidden global networks may have shaped Maldivian politics and economics behind closed doors.
