RaajjeTV makes payment for MVR 1 million defamation fine

RaajjeTV has on Thursday made payment in full for a second set of hefty fine levied against it on defamation allegations.

The Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) a MVR 1 million fine on the station based on an investigation it launched out of its own accord.

The fine was imposed on April 6, for the station having aired a speech at an opposition rally. The speech, according to the MBC, had been defamatory towards President Abdulla Yameen under the Anti-Defamation and Freedom of Expression Act.

The reportedly defamatory comments came from an opposition politician aligned with the Maldives United Opposition (MUO), when he took the podium at the rally on October 26, 2016.

“Take a look at any of the project started out by Abdulla Yameen. Few projects such as a pigeon park was completed”, “there are no airports, flats, airports of any other projects created by him’, “over the space of three years, how many billion Rufiyaa was handed over by the state coffers to him, nothing done”, and “we had received nothing but theft, corruption and pain” is the quote that the MBC included in its verdict.

After having made the payment - the biggest any media organization has ever been fined by - the station’s COO, Hussein Fiyaz Moosa, said that well-wishers and viewers had made tremendous contributions and it would not have been possible to make the payment without their aid. He had thanked all those that had contributed to RaajjeTV’s fundraising drive – the Dignity Fund.

The station further said that the fine is a move to silence free speech and is wholly unjust and unconstitutional.

RaajjeTV was previously fined with MVR 200,000 for reporting on the investigation of a rape case in Addu City, which was reportedly being altered by an influential state employee.

While the station had initially noted many discrepancies in the MBC’s decision to place the initial fine, the matter has been filed with the Civil Court.