The Civil Court has ordered Yacht Tours, the company of former President Mohamed Nasheed’s advisor Abdulla Jabir, to pay USD 3.6 million (over MVR 55 million) to the state.
The court issued the verdict after Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) sued Yacht Tours for not paying the rent and fines of the sandbanks Beenafushi and Kandaali Finolhu in Haa Alif atoll, which were previously leased to the company.
In the verdict read on September 18, the Civil Court ordered the company to settle the amount with MIRA in three months’ time. The court further warned that the penalty owed by Yacht Tours will continue to accumulate until the full payment is made.
MIRA had previously frozen the accounts of Yacht Tours under its enforcement policy in order to find the money owed by the company. Following the freeze, the former Kaashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir had censured the government and President Abdulla Yameen, claiming that his firm does not owe any money to MIRA.
The government had also seized back Beenafushi and Kandaali Finolhu, which were leased to Yacht Tours for resort development. The court had then ruled that the sandbanks were seized lawfully.
Meanwhile, Maldives Immigration has placed a travel ban on Jabir, who is currently abroad in the UK.
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