The Civil Court on Thursday ruled that the court does not have the authority to hear a case submitted over non-payment of rents by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) embassy in Male'.

The case was submitted by Aminath Ahmed Didi accusing the UAE embassy of non-payment of rent to three floors of Galolhu Niusha house in Male'.

But the Civil Court said the court could not proceed with the case as the UAE Embassy is a place of diplomatic privileges.

"Since Section 88 of Law No. 32/2021 (Civil Procedures Act) stipulated that a party with diplomatic privilege shall not be prosecuted in a court in the Maldives, the court rules that the case cannot be heard in this court," the ruling stated.

The UAE Embassy was accused of non-payment of rent to three floors of Galolhu Niusha house from May 2020 to October 2022. The court was asked to help recover USD 42,957.40 in rent for the three floors, USD 48,720 as three-month rent for termination without any notice and USD 750 in legal costs.

The Civil Court said they were unable to send the court documents to the UAE embassy.

Foreign embassies and high commissions in Maldives enjoy diplomatic privileges under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961.

However, the Civil Court has given 30 days to appeal its decision in the High Court.