The Supreme Court of the Maldives has delivered a landmark ruling today, declaring that Mohamed Sinan, the Member of Parliament for the Hithadhoo North constituency, has lost his seat due to his failure to settle a proven debt.

The disqualification arises from a judgment originally issued by the S. Hithadhoo Magistrate Court. The court had previously found that Sinan, along with three other individuals, failed to repay MVR 2.5 million of a MVR 3.8 million loan facility obtained from the Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB).

Although the magistrate court had granted a six-month period for the settlement of the outstanding funds, Sinan failed to meet the repayment deadline. The case was subsequently brought to the Supreme Court by a private individual, Ghalib Saleem, seeking a ruling on Sinan’s eligibility to hold office under the Constitution.

While Sinan reportedly settled the full debt in February last year shortly after the Supreme Court case was initiated, the five-justice bench ruled unanimously that the initial failure to pay the debt within the court-mandated timeframe was sufficient grounds for the loss of his parliamentary seat.

The presiding bench included Justice Aisha Shujoon, who chaired the proceedings, alongside Justices Abdulla Hameed, Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, Ali Rasheed Ahmed, and Hussain Shaheed.