Hadad Wisam, an American national, assaulted two VIA employees on 7th May. He was arrested and charged with assault. A court ordered him to pay MVR 10,800 as a fine for his crime.
The Criminal Court of Maldives yesterday ordered a foreigner who assaulted two employees at Velana International Airport (VIA) to be fined by a total of MVR 10,800 (USD 700.39).
The American national identified as Hadad Wisam was arrested on 7th May after an altercation between Wisam and two airport employees which resulted in Wisam assaulting both staff members.
Witnesses stated that the altercation occurred after Wisam got upset over being asked to pay for excess baggage. A witness told local media outlet Mihaaru that when first told that his luggage exceeded the baggage allowance and he would need to pay for the excess kilos, Wisam became belligerent and began yelling at the employees of the airline.
His luggage was then removed from the belt once he refused payment, and the altercation became more heated.
"Another person there then went to find security personnel. That's when the man followed him and hit him," the witness said.
However, Wisam was released from custody soon after his arrest on the condition of not leaving the country until further notice.
Prosecutors charged him with a count of harming an individual and another count of touching an individual's body. Hadad pled guilty to both counts and entered a plea bargain with prosecutors.
As per the agreement, his punishment was set to a fine of MVR 3,600 for the count of touching another individual's body, and another MVR 7,200 for harming another individual, which totalled up to MVR 10,800.
Presiding Judge Ibrahim Zihuny ordered Wisam to pay the fine to Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) within 30 days from yesterday.
While crimes involving assault can carry jail sentences, authorities have the option to replace it with a fine.
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