Civil Court has ruled that it cannot hear the case on the lease deferment of Fohtheyo, the largest lagoon in the country located in Vaavu atoll, submitted by the Vaavu Atoll Council.
Civil Court has ruled that it cannot hear the case on the lease deferment of Fohtheyo, the largest lagoon in the country located in Vaavu atoll, submitted by the Vaavu Atoll Council.
In 2023, during the administration of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, it was said that Fohtheyo was to be leased to a foreign company for tourism purposes. During the presidential campaign then, Solih had announced that a mega tourism project was to be conducted in Vaavu atoll.
Vaavu Atoll Council then submitted a case to Civil Court stating that the Tourism Ministry had made the decision to lease Fohdhoo against decentralization laws. They claimed that the lagoon could only be leased in accordance with regulations set by the council.
The State raised a procedural point stating that the case cannot be proceeded at the Civil Court. They said that the case concerns a difference of opinion, and said that the fundamental issues that the case calls to review deem it a case of judicial review.
In the verdict issued last week, Civil Court Judge Sinan Ali said that the first thing that the court needs to review in the case is whether the defendant has acted in a manner that contravenes the Decentralization Act.
Hence, it is evident the basis of the case submitted by the Vaavu Atoll Council is that of a judicial review case, the verdict said. It reads that as the case was not submitted in accordance with the procedures stated in the Civil Procedure Act for submittance of such cases, it cannot be proceeded.
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