The Supreme Court today ruled that Hithadhoo North MP Mohamed Sinan has lost his seat in the People’s Majlis.
The verdict was reached by a majority of the five-judge bench. Justice Aisha Shujune Muhammad chaired the bench.
"He is hereby disqualified from his position as a Member of the People’s Majlis. It is determined that Mohamed Sinan has lost his seat due to his failure to settle a proven debt in accordance with the judgment issued by the Hithadhoo Court," Shujune stated.
Her opinion was supported by Justice Ali Rasheed Hussain, Justice Dr Mohamed Ibrahim, Justice Hussein Shaheed, and Justice Mohamed Saleem.
This marks the first time a member of the 20th People’s Majlis has lost their seat following a ruling by the apex court.
The case seeking Sinan’s disqualification was filed after it emerged that he had failed to settle payments as mandated by a court order regarding a MVR 3.8 million loan taken from the Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB). Hearings for the case concluded last July.
In October 2024, the Hithadhoo Court had ordered Sinan to pay MVR 2.5 million over a six-month period. That judgment was delivered in absentia. According to Sinan’s legal counsel, he only became aware of the judgment when MIB filed for enforcement after the payments were not made as ordered.
The Supreme Court held two hearings regarding the disqualification. During the initial hearing, Sinan’s defence argued that he was unaware of both the original judgment and the subsequent enforcement proceedings. However, the Supreme Court today dismissed these claims, stating they lacked merit.
During the second hearing held on July 13, 2025, Sinan’s lawyer, Moosa Alim, contended that Sinan only learned of the judgment on January 22 of last year. The defence further informed the court that upon discovering the ruling, Sinan had engaged with MIB, reached a repayment agreement, and had been complying with its terms.
However, evidence showed that on the day the Hithadhoo Court issued its ruling, MIB had sent the judgment to Sinan via Viber. The message from the bank stated, "We are sending the court’s decision as the case filed by Maldives Islamic Bank was decided in absentia," and requested confirmation of receipt. Within an hour of receiving the message, Sinan replied, "Got thank you."
Furthermore, the legal counsel for the claimant raised several points countering the defence’s arguments. He emphasised that ignorance of the law or the judgment is not a valid excuse and argued it was clear that Sinan no longer met the constitutional requirements for parliamentary membership.
Under Article 73 of the Constitution, an individual with a proven debt who fails to make payments in accordance with a court judgment is ineligible to contest for a seat in the Majlis. The Constitution further stipulates that if such a situation arises while a member is in office, they shall be disqualified from their seat.
