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Siyam lambastes travel ban order; calls judiciary a "political conspiracy"

Mohamed Rehan
03 March 2022, MVT 12:27
MDA leader Ahmed Siyam speaks during the party's assembly held on Wednesday, 02nd March -- Photo: Nishan Ali/Mihaaru
Mohamed Rehan
03 March 2022, MVT 12:27

Meedhoo constituency lawmaker and Sun Siyam Group's frontman Ahmed Siyam has strongly lambasted the Maldivian judiciary.

Siyam, who is also the leader of Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) called the Maldivian judicial system politically colluded.

He made stern criticism after the Maldives Civil Court ordered a travel ban on him regarding the dispute between his Sun Travel and Hilton International owing to an unlawful contract termination case.

Hilton International filed its case with the International Arbitration Court to claim damages which the court ruled in its favor, demanding Sun Travel to compensate a total of USD28 million in damages.

After it became apparent that Siyam's Sun Travel had been stalling on settling the compensation, the Maldives Civil Court ordered the travel ban on him.

Meanwhile, his political party which had remained largely inactive for the past months held a national assembly on Wednesday, 02nd March.

While speaking with local media, Siyam accused the judiciary of the island nation, claiming that the system was used to stir a "politically motivated conspiracy" against him.

Moreover, he further claimed that the Civil Court's decision was unlawful.

"The truth is we entered into an agreement with a 'Management Company' from Israel, they had promised us with higher returns compared to us running the property. But we discovered that the company had been siphoning off the assets and stealing from us, which is why we cancelled our agreement," Siyam commented regarding the case.

Furthermore, Siyam asserted that his grievances with the court's decision did not root from the apparent injustice he faced, but rather the inconducive nature in which the courts were acting. He said that the courts were publicizing "manhunt" notices despite holding knowledge of the whereabouts of individuals.

Siyam had further accused Judicial Service Commission (JSC) of colluding with court judges and maneuvering them into making politically motivated decisions.

Moreover, Siyam had questioned the credibility of the judiciary noting that the JSC board consisted purely of political figures. He further went on to accuse the members of JSC, implying that they will be making decisions in favor of the political parties they represent.

The MDA leader and Meedhoo constituency lawmaker further placed criticism on the Speaker of Maldives Parliament, Mohamed Nasheed, whose inclusion in the JSC board has not been welcomed by the businessman.

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