The oldest newspaper in the Maldives, "Haveeru" and "Loamaafaanu Print" are the properties of Dr. Mohamed Zahir Hussain, the Supreme Court ruled on Sunday.
The top court upheld a Civil Court ruling that a percentage of the profits from "Haveeru" and "Loamaafaanu Print" is not owed to Ibrahim Rasheed Moosa and Abdulla Farooq Hassan.
"Haveeru" was forced to shut down in 2016 with a Civil Court order after Ibrahim Rasheed Moosa, Abdulla Farooq Hassan and Mohamed Naeem claimed ownership of the properties.
They wanted a share of the profits and wanted to be involved in the running of the newspaper. However, the Civil Court ruled in favor of Dr. Zahir.
The case was appealed at the Supreme Court after the High Court quashed the Civil Court's ruling in 2019.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court today decided unanimously to overrule the High Court's decision and uphold the Civil Court's ruling that Dr. Zahir is the sole owner of the properties.
