Civil Court orders MVR 5 million payout in Malé family property dispute

The Civil Court has ordered Ismail Latheef to pay MVR 5 million to Mariyam Athifa in a dispute over rental income from a family building in Malé. The case concerned G. Kethlunge, a family property in Malé. The court ordered the amount to be paid in monthly instalments of at least MVR 417,423 over 12 months, with the full amount due by 26 October next year. The awarded sum includes MVR 3.07 million in rental income owed to Athifa and MVR 1.93 million in compensation for the period she was deprived of an apartment to live in. The court rejected a claim for MVR 2.8 million that Athifa said she would have earned in bank interest if the money had been paid earlier. The building was constructed using a loan from State Bank of India. Latheef, who was entrusted by the family with the construction, said MVR 16 million was spent on the project; the loan was fully repaid in early 2019. After apartments were given to family members, the remaining five apartments and a warehouse were rented out. Latheef had maintained that records of income and expenses would be in his possession, but did not present any documents to the court and did not respond to opportunities for a family settlement. The court ruled based on an independent analysis report. Earlier, the High Court had ordered that an apartment be handed over to Athifa, effective from 1 January 2024; this ruling awarded compensation for the delay up to that handover.