MP Shamheed Vows to Pay Court-Ordered USD 36,647.76 Loan Guarantee

Hulhumalé South Constituency MP Dr. Ahmed Shamheed has said he will pay and settle the money in accordance with the judgment issued by the Civil Court in a case concerning a loan for which he had given a guarantee. In a statement issued regarding the case, Shamheed said Duplex Private Limited, which the Civil Court has ordered to pay the money, is a company he has been away from its management for seven years. He noted that the loan was one he guaranteed as assistance to the shareholders of the company. Shamheed said that because the company did not make the loan payments regularly, he has been paying the money himself, and that the court's judgment had been sent by email without any notice to appear in court. The judgment was issued against the company and the five people who gave the guarantee. Shamheed gave full assurance that although the loan was not taken for any personal use of his, he will pay and settle the money in full in accordance with the court's judgment in his capacity as a responsible individual. "Although this loan is not a loan taken for my benefit, I assure the beloved people of the constituency that, by the grace of Almighty Allah, this debt that has been placed upon me by legal means will be paid and settled in accordance with the court's judgment," Shamheed said. He strongly condemned the company's owners, alleging that even though it is clear this is not a loan he took personally, they are working to politicize the matter with the intention of tarnishing his reputation. According to the judgment, the five people, including Shamheed, who gave the bank guarantee for Duplex Company must pay USD 36,647.76 within the next six months. In addition, the fines accruing each month due to the loan not being paid regularly and the money due to "charity" must also be paid within these six months. According to the Economic Ministry's portal, the shareholders of Duplex Company are Ahmed Aslam, Ahmed Saeed, Ahmed Shamheed, Mohamed Hamdhan Baagir and Mohamed Fiyaz. The Managing Director of the company is Aslam.