Maldives judge denies misconduct allegations by French woman

Former Chief Justice at the criminal court, Judge Adam Arif has denied allegations of misconduct, by a French woman whose trial he was proceeding.

Jeanne Manon Morttet was charged with ‘death by negligence’ by Maldivian prosecutors, following the death of an 18-month boy while under her care.

Son on Irish millionaire socialites drowned while they were vacationing in Huvafenfushi resort, in October 2017. The incident happened while Monan was babysitting their children; in an interview to France’s ‘Le Parisien,’ she claims that the resort had asked her to do so despite the fact that she was employed at its restaurant.

She told ‘Le Parisien’ that the judge presiding over the case had later tried to “meet up” with her after obtaining her number from her lawyer. While she had shared “screenshots” of their conversation with the French news outlet, the number was saved as “Judge Arif.”

However, Judge Arif dismissed the allegations, calling them “blatant lies,” and denied having any interactions with the woman.

The judge added that the woman in question had fled before her trial concluded, adding that “I have not done anything she is accusing me of.”

In her interview to ‘Le Parisien,’ Manon said that she had to find a way to get out of Maldives because “I knew I was going to stay very long.” She is to have traveled out of the country via a boat, over a year after the incident.

Police launched a search for Manon, in December 2018.