The Civil Court has determined that it has the jurisdiction to hear a lawsuit filed by Coral Boulevard against the government of the Maldives over the confiscation of land, without compensation, for the construction of a residential complex opposite the Rasfannu beach area.
The project was initiated under the Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom administration, however, the Ibrahim Mohamed Solih administration, which subsequently came into office, decided to confiscate the land given to Coral Boulevard, a Singaporean company that has been awarded the project. In exchange, the company was to have been issued land at Hulhumalé.
On 25 February 2019, the company filed a civil suit seeking US$426.8 million in damages, the equivalent of MVR 6.5 billion, against the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Finance and the Government of Maldives.
After considering whether the matter was within the jurisdiction of the Civil Court, the Court had ruled that the Ministry of Finance and the Government of Maldives could not be sued but that, however, the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure had acted in violation of the agreement.
The Civil Court has determined that documentation should be prepared and filed with the court within 14 days, after which the case will proceed.