The government has filed suit against Strada, the parent company of Newport View, to recover lease payments and vacate the restaurant from the land.

In mid-March, the government gave the owner of the waterfront restaurant in the south-eastern side of Male’ a one-month notice to vacate the land for failure to pay the MVR 100,000 monthly rent since December of last year.

The agreement states that the government has the authority to take back the plot if the company fails to pay rent. However, the restaurant still remains open after the deadline.

In a press release on Monday, the Attorney General’s office stated that it filed the case at the Civil Court after Strada’s failure to pay the lease and fines and its refusal to obey the subsequent order to vacate the land.

The AG office stated that Strada owes MVR 1,149,271 in lease and fines to the Ministry of National Planning and Infrastructure, as per their agreement.

The ministry has stated that the 10,000-square-foot plot of land will be transformed into a public space after Newport View is removed.