The Supreme Court will on Monday issue a verdict on the USD 43 million dispute involving island resort, the Velaa Private Island.

Ahmed Ashfaq is seeking this amount in compensation for breach of a verbal agreement made between himself and the landscape manager at the resort.

Ashfaq claims that he had supplied multiple plants to be used on the island, as per the agreement he claims was made in 2013, but had not received payment.

Gladonia Maldives, the resort’s parent company, says that it did not make a contract with Ashfaq, but he had in fact been a sub-contractor to Mohamed Saeed, with whom the company had a contract for the project.

Gladonia spoke in support of a lower court verdict favouring the company, and said that they do not owe Ashfaq ‘anything’ and that the claim is an attempt to slander them.

While the Civil Court had ruled in favour of Gladonia, the High Court had quashed the verdict and instructed the lower court to review its decision.

The Civil Court found no documentary evidence proving that Ashfaq had supplied the resort, and Mohamed Saeed had testified to never having met or spoken to Ashfaq.

The case was appealed at the Supreme Court in late March by Gladonia.