Appeal filed in defamation case involving President’s son

MDP activist Mariyam Zubair (Mandhi), has filed an appeal against a Family Court ruling that found her remarks about President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s son defamatory.

The appeal also involves Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and its chairman, Fayyaz Ismail.

The case was initially filed by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed, who claimed that comments made by Mandhi during an MDP protest last March falsely linked the President’s decision to ban vaping to his son.

The Family Court ruled that Mandhi’s remarks defamed the President’s son and held that the MDP and Fayyaz should be liable for encouraging the comments rather than preventing them. The court granted the First Lady the right to claim compensation from the party and its chairman.

Separately, the First Lady filed a civil suit against Mandhi, Fayyaz and the MDP. In July, the Civil Court ruled that Mandhi was liable for damages, but Fayyaz and MDP were not. The court also rejected the First Lady’s request to compel Mandhi to issue an apology. Although the court determined that she is entitled to damages, she has not yet filed a claim.

The appeal is now before the High Court, which has not yet scheduled a decision.