Hub Can Seek Payment from Ex-DRP Leader, Says Civil Court
Former President of the Maldives and Ex-Leader of the DRP, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. | Photo: President’s Office
The Civil Court has ruled that the former leader of the now-dissolved Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) is responsible for debts incurred during his tenure, stating that Hub, an events-organising company, may file a claim directly against him.
The case concerns a long-running debt of more than MVR 700,000 owed to Hub for services provided to the party between 2008 and 2009. In 2014, the Civil Court ordered DRP to pay the amount, a decision later upheld by the High Court in 2015 and confirmed by the Supreme Court. However, the payment has not been settled.
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According to the latest ruling, the Civil Court initiated enforcement proceedings under a Supreme Court circular. It noted that ahead of the party’s dissolution, the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) had requested DRP to identify the individual responsible for the financial obligation, but the party failed to respond or submit financial records.
The verdict states that debts incurred by a political party are the responsibility of the party’s leadership at the time. Therefore, Hub is entitled to pursue legal action against the former leader under whose tenure the debt was created.
Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom led the DRP during the period in question. He left the party in 2011 due to internal disputes and went on to form the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). He was later removed from PPM and subsequently established the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM), which was dissolved earlier this year. DRP was formally dissolved by the ECM last year after its membership fell below the legal threshold.
When DRP was deregistered, several unresolved debt cases were pending against the party.
In a separate case dating back to 2007, Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) sought to hold Maumoon personally liable for MVR 1.1 million owed by DRP. The Civil Court had ruled he could not be held responsible; the High Court later allowed the case to proceed. Maumoon appealed to the Supreme Court, but in February 2024 the case was discontinued after MTCC informed the court it no longer intended to pursue the matter. MTCC said its legal team understood that the debt could not be attributed to Maumoon, thus accepting the lower court’s ruling.
The new Civil Court ruling underscores that leaders may be pursued for debts accrued during their stewardship of political parties, even after the organisations are dissolved.
