Man fined MVR 6,000 over 24 cans of beer found in Hulhumale'

The Criminal Court has fined a man MVR 6,000 after he was arrested with 24 cans of beer in the Hulhumale' Kanneli Jetty area, replacing his jail sentence with the fine. The state had pressed charges against Mohamed Mubarik of L. Naifaru, Raaneevilla, for carrying out an act for which a permit is required without obtaining one. According to the state's case, police on patrol in the Hulhumale' Kanneli Jetty area at around 19:30 on the night of August 21 stopped Mubarik. When he saw police, he tried to flee after placing the red bag he was carrying beside a bicycle. Police stopped him and searched the bag, which contained a carton of 24 cans of 'Tiger' brand beer. Tests confirmed the cans were positive for alcohol. Mubarik voluntarily confessed to the offence during the preliminary hearing and the summary trial without any compulsion. The basic punishment for the offence under law is two months and 12 days' imprisonment. Because he confessed and cooperated with the court, the punishment was reduced by two degrees to one month and six days. After six days already spent in custody during the investigation were deducted, he was left with a one-month jail sentence. As Mubarik had no previous conviction for a similar offence and said he could pay a fine, Judge Muzammil Naseer ordered a fine of MVR 6,000 in place of the jail term. The court ordered the fine to be paid within 12 months from the date of the judgment to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA).