Richest Man in Maldives

Here's a look at some of the water bungalows at Paradise resort.
I was eating lunch on Sunday at the main resort restaurant when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to discover that it was Gasim Ibrahim, owner of the resort, former finance minister, speaker of the special Majlis, and the richest man in the Maldives. I recognized him from news conferences I had covered. He was dining at his table with three MP's or members of parliament. He invited the TVM team to his table for coffee. Discussion ranged from the new constitution, to the quality of the TV station that he is starting. One interesting piece of information that came out of the discussion was that Anni, the main opposition candidate, may have his name taken off the ballot because he was formerly arrested for criminal activity. Gassim did not comment on the many rumors that he is running for president, although he is clearly working on something important. At the end of our coffee, he nicely but firmly dismissed us, so that he and his colleagues from the Majlis could talk business. An interesting note: we knew we were receiving a discount on our stay because we are working in Maldives, but when we checked out all of our extras, such as diving, had been completely paid for. We don't know by whom, but now we are wondering if someone will ask us to return the favor.