Man fined for spending funds mistakenly deposited into his account!
The Criminal Court has fined an individual MVR 13,200 for spending MVR 4,500 that was mistakenly deposited into his bank account. Following a confession by the defendant, Ali Shafaz, the court converted his original prison sentence into a fine. Additionally, Presiding Judge Ali Nadeem ordered Shafaz to reimburse the full amount to the victim through the Civil Court within 30 days.
The building housing the Criminal Court. | RaajjeMV
The Criminal Court has ordered a fine against an individual found guilty of utilizing funds deposited into their account instead of returning the money.
In this case, the state has raised charges against an individual identified as Ali Shafaz. He has been charged with the unlawful exercise of control over another person's property. The prosecution alleges that he misappropriated funds transferred from another individual's account to his own, failing to return the money and instead utilizing it for his own purposes.
According to reports, the case involves a fraudulent scheme to obtain money via Viber. The incident related to the charges occurred on February 22, 2026. The prosecution alleges that after receiving a transfer of 4,500 MVR into his account, the defendant failed to forward the funds to the intended recipient and instead utilized the money for his personal use.
Upon the formal reading of the charges, the defendant entered a guilty plea. He proceeded to provide the court with a detailed account of the events, admitting that he had withdrawn the funds specified in the indictment after they were deposited into his account. He further expressed his desire to provide full restitution to the victim.
The court has validated his confession and proceeded with an expedited hearing. Consequently, he has been found guilty of the charges brought against him.
The standard sentence for this charge is four months and 24 days in prison. However, in light of the defendant's confession and the surrounding circumstances of the case, the court has decided to commute the prison sentence to a fine.
Consequently, the court has ordered him to pay a fine of MVR 13,200 to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) within a period of two months. Furthermore, as the financial damages were proven in court, he was also ordered to pay MVR 4,500 in restitution to the victim through the Civil Court within 30 days.
Judge Ali Nadeem presided over the conclusion of this case at the Criminal Court.
The prevalence of scams has increased significantly in recent times. Consequently, it is essential to remain more vigilant than ever regarding the transactions conducted through your accounts.
