The Criminal Court has sentenced Hassan Mamdhooh to 397 years, six months and 20 days in prison, and his associate Jaishan Saeed to 159 years, five months and 14 days for defrauding buyers in the K-Park apartment project in Hulhumalé.
Judge Ali Nadheem delivered the verdict on Wednesday, saying the scale of the crimes and their impact on victims justified sentences intended to deter similar offences. He referenced testimony from an elderly victim who said she had used her life savings to buy a flat and no longer had the ability to earn the money again. Mamdhooh, who appeared without legal representation, showed little reaction as the court delivered the ruling.
According to the judgment, Mamdhooh’s sentence stems from convictions on 46 counts of fraud worth eight years each, 44 counts of deceptive practices carrying three months and 18 days each, three counts of knowingly issuing invalid documents with one year, four months and 24 days each, and a money laundering conviction of 14 years, 11 months and 14 days. After deducting time spent in custody, the total sentence stands at 397 years, six months and 20 days.
Jaishan received sentences for 46 counts of fraud, 40 counts of deceptive practices, three counts of issuing invalid documents, and aiding and abetting money laundering, resulting in 159 years, five months and 14 days after custody deductions.
The court also ordered the confiscation of a penthouse and parking space at FW Residence in Hulhumalé, which prosecutors said were purchased using funds obtained from the sale of two K-Park apartments to four different buyers. The property is valued at MVR 7.8 million, and a further MVR 7 million worth of items, including designer perfume bottles, handbags and jewellery, were seized from the residence, bringing the total value of confiscated assets to MVR 14.8 million. Both men were ordered to return the money taken from victims within six months.
The sentencing follows a case that began three years ago when buyers reported that the same apartments at K-Park Residence had been sold to multiple people. Mamdhooh, a minority shareholder of Hanbo Company Pvt Ltd, was accused of forging documents, opening company accounts without authorisation and signing sales agreements using a resolution that allegedly carried the forged signature of the managing director. Police seized his passport during the early stages of the investigation.
Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the state-owned company that awarded the project, filed a complaint, while Hanbo Tech Korea, the original contractor, terminated its agreement with the local agent. The building, which contains around 100 apartments priced between MVR 3 million and MVR 6 million, remains unfinished.
The previous longest sentence recorded in the Maldives was 109 years for Hussain Shifau, who was convicted in a separate fraud case.