Former DRP Leader Nasheed Ordered to Pay MVR 4 Million in Party Debt

The Civil Court has ordered former Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) leader Mohamed Nasheed, widely known as “Colonel” Nasheed, to pay more than MVR 4 million in debts incurred by the party during his tenure.

The ruling relates to unpaid fees for services provided to the DRP by a company owned by Ahmed Amir, a former Kudahuvadhoo constituency member. Amir initially sued the DRP for MVR 16 million, including penalties for non-payment. However, the High Court limited the claim to the value of services rendered, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in August 2021.

After the judgment, Amir filed an enforcement case in the Civil Court, stating that the DRP had failed to settle any part of the debt. During this period, the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) moved to dissolve the party due to its failure to meet legal membership requirements.

In September 2025, Amir sought to recover the debt directly from Nasheed, citing a letter from the ECM confirming that Nasheed was the leader of the DRP when the original civil court decision was issued. In a judgment delivered in Nasheed’s absence, the Civil Court ordered him to pay the amount within 14 days.

Nasheed previously served as a member of the 17th Parliament after contesting the Nolhivaram constituency on the ticket of the then-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). He later left the party and joined the DRP in March 2013, assuming its leadership later that year following the resignation of Ahmed Thasmeen Ali. Nasheed also served as Maldivian ambassador to Thailand during the administration of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

In 2022, Nasheed was charged in a separate criminal case and arrested, though he was later released.

The Civil Court has previously ruled that former leaders of the DRP could be held personally responsible for party debts incurred during their tenure. In November last year, the court determined that Hub, an events management company, could pursue a claim directly against a former DRP leader over a separate debt of more than MVR 700,000 for services provided between 2008 and 2009. Earlier court rulings ordering the DRP to pay that amount were upheld by both the High Court and the Supreme Court, but the debt remains unpaid.

According to the court, debts incurred by a political party are the responsibility of the party’s leadership at the time the obligations were created, particularly when the party has been dissolved and has failed to provide financial records.

During part of the period in question, the DRP was led by former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who later left the party to form the Progressive Party of Maldives and subsequently the Maldives Reform Movement, which has since been dissolved.

Several debt cases remained unresolved when the DRP was formally deregistered by the ECM.