Court orders Saleem to pay MVR 15,000 in defamation case
The Civil Court held that the matter could not be pursued in court, as it had already been submitted to the Media Council.
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The defamation case filed by former Hoarafushi Constituency Member Ahmed Saleem against Heena Waleed, then editor of the newspaper Dhiyares, and Dhiyares Media, has ended with the Civil Court ordering Saleem to pay MVR 15,000 as court costs.
Saleem, who also served as Deputy Speaker of Parliament, filed the suit in relation to a story published in Dhiyares on 25 June 2022 under the title “Journalist Naseer has a homosexual video released.”
The article referred to Saleem, quoting, “The next person in the video with Naseer does not have a face. However, according to rumours, the next person in the video is Hoarafushi MP Ahmed Saleem.”
Saleem filed the lawsuit on 1 August 2022, claiming defamation and seeking:
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A ruling that Dhiyares Media had committed defamation against him
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A declaration that the news was baseless and that Heena and Dhiyares Media should be held separately responsible
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MVR 5,000 as compensation for material damage
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MVR 10 million as compensation for reputational damage
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MVR 50,000 as court costs
Heena, now CEO of NSPA, and Dhiyares Media denied the charges and requested a judgment without a hearing. Their defence stated:
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The report did not state anything false but reflected circulating rumours
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The matter had already been submitted to the Media Council, and Saleem had signed a waiver relinquishing his right to pursue it in court
In response, Saleem’s legal team argued that the cases were different. He said:
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The Civil Court case sought damages for reputational harm
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The Media Council complaint sought action on breaches of media rules and standards
The Civil Court held that the matter could not be pursued in court, as it had already been submitted to the Media Council. The judgment stated:
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Although the remedies sought differed, both cases concerned the same issue
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The Media Council requires complainants to sign an affidavit waiving their right to pursue the same matter in court
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Saleem had signed this affidavit, meaning he had waived the right to file a defamation suit
Following the decision, the defendants requested MVR 15,000 as court costs, which the court ordered Saleem to pay within seven days.
