Court dismisses compensation claim over terrorism charges
Muaz filed a civil case seeking MVR 5 million in compensation
Civil Court on Thursday ruled against awarding compensation to Ahmed Muaz, who sought damages for his arrest and prosecution in connection with the disappearance of journalist Ahmed Rilwan and the murder of blogger Yameen Rasheed.
Muaz was among three individuals arrested on June 26, 2023, in relation to these cases. Charges were filed against them on September 1, 2023, but they were acquitted by the Criminal Court in November 2023.
The charges against the three included:
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Ahmed Ismail: Aiding and abetting an act of terrorism.
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Ismail Abdul Raheem Adam: Two counts of aiding and abetting an act of terrorism.
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Ahmed Muaz: Conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism.
Following his acquittal, Muaz filed a civil case seeking MVR 5 million in compensation, alleging wrongful prosecution and naming the following parties in his claim:
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Prosecutor General's Office.
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Presidential commission to investigate deaths.
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Chair of the commission, Fareesha Abdulla.
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Members of the commission, Misbah Abbas and Ahmed Nasheed.
In his ruling, Civil Court Judge Abdulla Ihsan stated:
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Maldivian law does not include specific standards to determine whether an investigation was conducted in good faith.
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Compensation may only be awarded if bad intentions in filing the lawsuit are proven.
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No evidence was presented to establish malicious intent by the institutions or individuals involved in prosecuting Muaz.
The court dismissed the case, concluding that the criteria for awarding damages were not met.
