SOF case refiled in Court

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has refiled case to recover MVR 165 million, embezzled from MMPRC funds by SOF company, one company implicit in the biggest fraud carried out in the country.

The case was kicked out Civil Court on Monday, as MMPRC had failed attend the hearings.

Speaking to Raajje.mv, MMPRC lawyer said the case was refiled on Tuesday, with the dispute stage expected to begin next week. He said the direction of the case will be determined by the dispute stage, with the Judge deciding if the case merited additional review.

Speaking to Raajje.mv, an official of MMPRC said that there was no basis to the claim that MMPRC had not attended the hearing, as the Corporation was not aware the hearing was scheduled for Monday. He said the office had not received the Court summons and as such was not aware that the hearings had been set.

Mohamed Allam Latheef, one of the shareholders of SOF company, is an individual wanted by Interpol in connection to Himbalhidhoo case and MMPRC case. He is a close associate of the former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb. Over MVR 1.22 billion, earned from the lease of islands, was siphoned off from MMPRC accounts to accounts affiliated with SOF.

MMPRC had filed suit to recover US$ 10.3 million (MVR 158 million), as agreed in an agreement made between the two companies, US$ 400,000 (MVR 6.1 million) released to SOF. MMPRC had also filed to nullify the agreement made between the two countries.