Court orders nearly MVR 100,000 in compensation for employee dismissed over MIFCO van robbery
A former MIFCO employee, dismissed over alleged involvement in a two-million-rupee heist involving the smashing of a company van's windows seven years ago, is set to receive approximately MVR 100,000 in compensation following a court ruling.
The High Court has ordered that compensation be paid to an employee who was dismissed following the robbery of two million Rufiyaa from a MIFCO van. | RaajjeMV | RaajjeMV
The High Court has ordered the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) to pay MVR 96,960 in compensation to a former employee who was dismissed following the robbery of MVR 2 million from a company van.
However, the High Court has overturned the Employment Tribunal's ruling to reinstate him to his position.
This case is linked to a major robbery that occurred in March 2019. In that incident, a MIFCO van transporting a large sum of cash along Boduthakurufaanu Magu was intercepted by masked individuals on motorcycles. The assailants shattered the van's windows before fleeing with two million Rufiyaa.
In connection with the case, Ismail Nathig (of M. Saila), who was serving as a junior executive at MIFCO at the time, was dismissed from his post. Nathig’s termination followed a police interrogation regarding allegations that he had communicated via telephone with an individual directly involved in the robbery, 16 days after the incident occurred.
After Nathif submitted the case to the Employment Tribunal, the tribunal ruled in April 2021 that his dismissal was unlawful. Consequently, the tribunal ordered his reinstatement and mandated the payment of all back pay and benefits he would have received had he remained in his position.
The High Court on Tuesday delivered its verdict on an appeal filed by MIFCO in 2021, nearly five years after the initial dispute began, by partially overturning a ruling issued by the Employment Tribunal. The unanimous decision, presided over by Judges Hussain Mazeer, Mohamed Shaneez Abdulla, and Abdulla Jameel Moosa, set aside the tribunal's order to reinstate the employee, Nathiq. While the court acknowledged that there were procedural irregularities in Nathiq's dismissal, the judges ultimately nullified the directive requiring the company to grant him his position back.
The High Court ordered that Nathig be compensated with an amount equivalent to one year's salary and benefits based on his earnings at the time. His monthly salary was MVR 5,050, and he also received 60 percent of that amount as an allowance. This brings the total annual compensation to approximately MVR 100,000.
